Todd Muller calls for Clark's scalp, as Ombudsman investigates quarantine

Wednesday, 17 June 2020

National Party leader Todd Muller says he is appalled two women from the UK were allowed to drive around New Zealand.

National leader Todd Muller is calling for the Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to sack Health Minister David Clark.

Muller said he was appalled by the lax quarantine measures that allowed two people with the coronavirus to leave mandatory isolation.

'It's appalling, I think New Zealanders are waking up incredibly frustrated if not angry - and I share it,' Muller told TVNZ's Breakfast.

'We have these processes put in place by the Government and officials and we expect them to be followed,' he said.

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'The idea that people could just be let out without following the protocols is completely unacceptable, it's putting the country at risk, it's putting thousands of jobs at risk it needs to be fixed immediately.'

Muller later put out a release, calling for Ardern to sack Clark.

National Party leader Todd Muller said NZ needed a way for travellers to prove they were covid-19 free.

“Everyone knows Health Minister David Clark is out of his league – and that from day one the Prime Minister has been running the health portfolio and every aspect of the Covid-19 response,' Muller said.

“The sacrifice of the ‘team of five million’ cannot be put at risk by a clumsy and incompetent Government that allows bureaucrats to run the show by deciding which of the rules they are going to apply on any given day.

“The Government only does that when it’s covering for a weak minister. David Clark needs to be sacked,' he said.

Yesterday the Ministry of Health announced that two people who had been given a compassionate exemption to leave managed isolation to attend a funeral had tested positive for Covid-19. They were not tested before leaving managed isolation.

Clark told Newstalk ZB this morning he was frustrated by what had happened at the border.

Clark said it had been his understanding no one left managed isolation facilities before being tested for the coronavirus.

“That was my understanding of what would be happening,' Clark told Newstalk ZB on Wednesday.

Clark said he called Bloomfield on Tuesday night, telling him to suspend the compassionate exemptions to quarantine rules.

'It's pretty clear I'm unhappy with the situation and I want this fixed,' Clark said.

Meanwhile the Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier announced he would be launching an investigation into isolation and quarantine facilities.

He told a Parliamentary select committee on Wednesday morning that the investigation would include looking at the compassionate leave measures. He would not say whether yesterday's case would be included in the investigation.

The investigation will mainly be on the way people are being treated in these facilities.

“We are really looking into how people are being treated,' Boshier said.

“It sounds plush being in a hotel but it ain’t,' he said.

He said the investigation will look at the exemptions regime.

“We will look at whether policies have been administered fairly and reasonably.”

Boshier told the committee he wouldn't go into detail about yesterday's case because he didn't yet have enough knowledge of what happened.