Hundreds of people have flown to Australia soon after leaving managed isolation, but the Government has no way of knowing if people are abusing the system.
As pressure mounts on New Zealand’s MIQ facilities, with many people struggling to secure spots, figures obtained by Stuff raise questions about whether some people are using the country’s squeezed facilities as a transit lounge.
The revelation has prompted Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins to ask officials to review what’s happening.
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In October and November alone, 549 people flew across the Tasman within 60 days of landing in New Zealand, taking advantage of the one-way travel bubble with Australia.
More than 120 of them departed less than 21 days after they arrived, meaning some people would have left the country within a week of completing MIQ.