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Updated April 9th, 2020 at 15:51 IST

New Zealand orders mandatory 14-day quarantine for travellers amid COVID-19 scare

New Zealand, which had witnessed comparatively fewer coronavirus cases announced a 14-day mandatory quarantine for people returning from abroad

Reported by: Riya Baibhawi
New Zealand orders mandatory 14 day quarantine for incoming travellers amid coronavirus
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New Zealand, which had witnessed comparatively fewer coronavirus cases in recent times announced a 14-day mandatory quarantine for all the foreign travellers starting from April 10. This comes as the pacific country has reported 1,239 cases of infections and one death till now. A national emergency has been imposed in the nation since late-march to stifle the local transmissions of the virus. The ongoing four-week lockdown in the country has evidently affected domestic transportation and businesses.

Speaking at a news briefing in Wellington, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced that “nobody would go home” adding that a two-week government-approved facility would be “prerequisite" for all travellers coming from abroad. She further said in a statement, "Even one person slipping through the cracks and bringing the virus in can see an explosion in cases, as we have observed with some of our bigger clusters.” Commenting on the extension of the ongoing lockdown, Ardern reportedly said that the cabinet would hold a meeting two days before the lockdown is scheduled to end and decide whether it would be extended or not. 

Read: New Zealand Family Hosts 4 German Students During Lockdown

Read: New Zealand PM Demotes Health Minister For Breaching Coronavirus Lockdown

Health Minister demoted 

Meanwhile, Ardern recently announced the demotion of Health Minister following a breach of nationwide lockdown order imposed to contain the spread of coronavirus. Ardern said that the minister, David Clark, had offered his resignation for flouting the social distancing rules to drive his family to a beach.

However, New Zealand PM was of the opinion that the sacking of the Health Minister could cause a massive disruption in the government’s response against the pandemic, which the country can not afford in the current situation. Ardern added that she would sack the minister under normal circumstances as there are no excuses for what he did.

But he does need to pay a price. He broke the rules. While he maintains his Health portfolio, I am stripping him of his role as Associate Finance Minister and demoting him to the bottom of our Cabinet rankings,” said the Prime Minister in a statement.

Read: New Zealand PM To Kids: We Consider Both Easter Bunny And Tooth Fairy As Essential Workers

Read: Jaishankar Speaks To Australia Counterpart; Says India Responding 'positively' Over Drugs

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Published April 9th, 2020 at 15:51 IST

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