After months of urging that ports should be treated like airports for Covid-19 security, New Zealand port companies have been stunned to receive an order from director general of health Ashley Bloomfield for all maritime
Andrea Fox
Ports chief executives' group spokesman Charles Finny said as recently as two weeks ago the maritime sector had been urging health authorities to test at ports, without success.
A test station has this week been set up at Ports of Auckland. A spokesman said the company had been "dead keen" to see it but the time it has taken for action was frustrating.
Port of Tauranga chief executive Mark Cairns said he had been asking for Covid security at the port to be strengthened since April.
Finny understood from port chief executives he had spoken to on Friday that DHBs intended to set up testing systems at ports over the weekend and on Monday.
"We said months ago that ports should be treated like airports."
Bloomfield's letter said along with the new testing requirements, border-based employees needed to continue to take daily health checks.
"Thank you again for the important work you are doing to strengthen practices and to increase vigilance at the maritime border, in order to protect your employees and our community from Covid-19," it concludes.