New Zealand military to control borders after virus bungle

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern ordered the military to oversee the country's border controls Wednesday after a bungle that allowed two people with the coronavirus to leave quarantine.

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A 24-day run with no new cases was broken Tuesday when it emerged two women who recently arrived from Britain were allowed out of quarantine early without being tested for the virus, even though one had mild symptoms.

The pair were eventually swabbed and proved to be infected, but only after they made a 650-kilometre (400-mile) road trip from Auckland to Wellington to see a dying relative.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern speaks to the media. File photo

Ardern said it was "absolutely nonsensical" they were not tested earlier and border controls clearly needed to be tightened to prevent similar failures.

She said Assistant Chief of Defence Digby Webb had been appointed to oversee border quarantine operations and was being given access to military personnel and logistical expertise.

"My view is that we need the rigour, we need the confidence, we need the discipline that the military can provide," Ardern told reporters.

Health Minister David Clark acknowledged widespread anger at the blunder. Kiwis endured a stringent seven-week lockdown to eliminate the virus in the country which has recorded only 1,156 cases and 22 deaths in a population of five million.

"New Zealanders have made great sacrifices to make it to this point," he told Radio New Zealand.

"Our system has performed incredibly well as a whole in New Zealand. We have eliminated COVID-19 but I want this fixed straight away."