Travellers who are currently in managed isolation or who have recently left have also confirmed to the Herald they haven't been tested once, let alone twice. Photo / Dean Purcell
Travellers who are currently in managed isolation or who have recently left have also confirmed to the Herald they haven't been tested once, let alone twice. Photo / Dean Purcell
About 600 Covid-19 tests were carried out yesterday on travellers in managed isolation as part of the scramble to catch up with rules that should have been enforced well over a week ago.
On the first day of alert level 1 last week, director general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield announced extra measures for people in managed isolation, being that they would be tested for the virus on around days three and 12.
Other travellers who are currently in managed isolation or who have recently left have also confirmed to the Herald they haven't been tested once, let alone twice.
Bloomfield today acknowledged there has been a "lapse in the process" for introducing the routine day three and day 12 testing.
Speaking to the Herald this afternoon, Bridget Tyson said she arrived in the country from Japan on the night of June 13.
She claimed she was originally told she wouldn't be swabbed for Covid-19, which she thought was strange.
"Then we got told the next day that we would have one at 12 days, then the next day we got told 'no you're going to have one at three days and at 12 days', but that was the third day and the testing people didn't come and they and re-scheduled it for today."
Tyson said she understood there were people staying in the same hotel as her who have just three days before they are due to finish isolation.
"So there's more pressure to get those people tested so they can actually leave the hotel. They have been tested today, but we have not been able to be."
Director general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield arriving for his press conference at the National Library in Wellington today. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Tyson said overall her experience in managed isolation has been good and she felt well looked after.
More than $8000 was raised on Givealittle to help fund Tyson and her husband's trip home, with the pair expecting their first child.
A man who left managed isolation on the same day Bloomfield announced the extra testing told the Herald he was relieved people would now have to return negative tests before leaving.
"It's fantastic, they should have done that straight away."
He described his experience in isolation as "Russian roulette" because people who had recently arrived in the country were mingling with those who had just a few days left before they could leave.
Fronting up to media today, Bloomfield acknowledged there has been a "lapse in the process" for introducing the routine day three and day 12 testing over the latter part of last week.
"I've taken responsibility to make sure that the system is sorted and we're getting on and doing that.
"Day three and day 12 testing is gearing up and in full swing, and yesterday around 600 tests were done across the hotels as part of that."
Bloomfield reiterated that no one was to leave any of the managed isolation facilities for whatever reason unless they have returned a negative test.
He said he has asked staff to review why the extra testing was not being carried out since he announced it on June 9.
"[To] look not just at the protocols that were in place, but why the testing wasn't rolled out as I expected at that time, and consistently, it was taking some time to stand it up.
"As part of that I've asked them to review and go back and just look at how many people may have left during that period without having the test."
Bloomfield said the 14-day isolation period is the mainstay of border management, a measure which has been in place for several months.
