Foreigners in custody ignored 'obvious' rules in 'almost willful act of not self-isolating'

Two foreigners made liable for deportation ignored New Zealand's self-isolation requirements, Immigration New Zealand (INZ) says.

On Tuesday, INZ announced that two individuals who had arrived in the country on Monday morning, after strict travel restrictions came into effect, were in custody after not self-isolating for 14 days. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern revealed on Saturday that anyone coming into the country must now self-isolate in an effort to combat the spread of coronavirus COVID-19.

But the pair of travellers, who came to New Zealand from south-east Asia, didn't just fail to self-isolate, they purposefully chose not to, according to INZ Compliance and Verification general manager Stephen Vaughan.

"It was probably more than just failing to self-isolate, it was almost like a willful act of not self-isolating that we became aware of, and as a result, with our partners in the police, we investigated the matter, contacted these people, spoke to them, and as a result, we made them liable for deportation," he told Newshub.

"Their behaviour is completely irresponsible and we won't tolerate it."

Within hours of the self-isolation rules coming into effect at midnight on Sunday, tourists were already telling reporters that they would continue their travels as normal. Newshub also spoke to a backpackers on Tuesday, which said some tourists claimed they weren't aware of the requirements.

But there are multiple checks at airports for people arriving into the country to alert them of New Zealand's rules. On top of being required to register with Healthline, the Ministry of Healths says people coming into New Zealand must fill out health cards. There is a telephone follow-up and spot checks will be conducted. Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield has also said that travellers will be turned around if their self-isolation rules are not up to standard.

"Now we have health staff at the border before the Immigration and Customs desk, and they are looking at the health declaration of every person coming in and quizzing them about their plans for self-isolation," Dr Bloomfield said.

"And if they are not convinced that the person has concrete plans, or if the person is objecting to self-isolation… we have either police staff or Customs officials there who can make a decision about whether that person gets let into the country in the first place."

Vaughan said there was no way someone could get across the border without knowing of the rules.

"We became aware of it through the public. It is fair to say that everybody knows that coming to New Zealand you must self-isolate. Even if you accept that they didn't know prior to coming to New Zealand, as soon as you when hit the border, it is absolutely obvious you must self-isolate for 14 days."

The pair of travellers are now in quarantine and must remain in New Zealand for their 14 days of isolation.

"If they fail to depart after quarantine, they will be arrested and detained under the Immigration Act. Being deported has serious consequences. It means individuals will be banned from returning to New Zealand for a period of time and they may also find it difficult to travel to other countries," Vaughan said.

New Zealand currently has 12 cases of coronavirus COVID-19. The illness has infected 190,000 people worldwide with more than 7000 deaths. Multiple countries have now implemented strict border measures to stop its spread.

The self-isolation rules in New Zealand exclude those coming from the Pacific Islands and will be reviewed at the end of the month.