Pledge over pre-departure tests

The Government says it will now check all Australian arrivals have had a negative

Covid-19 test days after it was found some arrivals from the country battling a number of outbreaks had not been checked.

It comes after Stuff revealed more than

100 people in managed isolation and quarantine had broken the rules and travelled to New Zealand without a predeparture test, or travelled through an Australian state with an outbreak.

Covid-19 Minister Chris Hipkins said on Wednesday that staffing issues meant it was not possible for the Government to check every arrival’s pre-departure test documentation, but he wanted to increase the number of checks and eventually move to digitally checking every test.

Only about half the passengers’ tests were being checked at the New Zealand border, and one in ten on the Australian side, when the rule was first introduced.

But Arden said yesterday all travellers from Australia would be checked to make sure they have had a negative test within 72 hours of travel.

She said travellers were having to present their tests before being allowed to check in, and New Zealand was sending extra staff to Australia to handle the extra work.