NZ’s border systems were “rigorous” (until two infected women exposed their flaws) – now they are being made “robust”

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Housing Minister Megan Woods has vowed  “robust systems” will be put in place to ensure the managed isolation and quarantine of returning New Zealanders, RNZ reports. And there will be consequences for people who break those rules.

Robust systems will be put in place?  But none other than the PM had led us to believe we already had them.

Correction.  She led us to believe the systems were rigorous.

On April 19, discussing what was being considered by the government before a decision was made next day on whether to extend the level 4 lockdown, Jacinda Ardern said New Zealand’s quarantine and border measures were thought to be “absolutely” sufficient to move into level 3.

“They’re very, very rigorous. We have currently 1601 individuals who are in facilities managed by the government,” she said.

Woods now was appearing at a media briefing and promising a robust  system after the PM gave her Ministerial responsibility for Managed Isolation and Quarantine and appointed Air Commodore Darryn Webb as Head of Managed Isolation and Quarantine.

The politically embarrassing reason for those appointments was the exposure of serious weaknesses which made the system somewhat less than rigorous.