Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield has apologised after saying the two new cases on Tuesday will have upset people and shaken people's confidence.
The revelation two sisters with Covid-19 were released from isolation to visit a dying parent in wellington has exposed "unacceptable" flaws in the system.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern yesterday said the situation was an unacceptable failure of the system and she appointed assistant chief of defence Air Commodore Darryn Webb to oversee and review managed isolation facilities.
In this afternoon's Covid-19 media conference, Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield reiterated that he was alerted late yesterday afternoon that the two women had had limited contact with two friends.
He said this happened after they got lost trying to leave Auckland.
The two friends were then tested for Covid-19 - one has returned a negative test and the other person's test is still pending, Dr Bloomfield said.
He said all possible contacts of the two women were being traced.
The case of the two women will have upset people and shaken people's confidence, Bloomfield said.
"I've certainly been upset by it."
"I've taken responsibility to make sure that the system is sorted and we're getting on and doing that."
The Prime Minister refused to apologise for the border botch-up, when asked about it today.
"Of course I feel huge remorse that this has happened, but I am making sure that we are fixing the system. If I had any personal responsibility for what happened here, of course I'd take that, but my job is to lead. I wear that, and I keep going."
Ardern said public and government confidence in the border needed to be restored, which is why she has asked the military to oversee all quarantine and isolation facilities.
See how this afternoon's Covid-19 news unfolded with RNZ's live updates: