A Shanghai-based man from New Zealand believes the country is "not prepared" for the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic as he documented his arrival in New Zealand compared with his arrival in China.
Andy Boreham arrived in New Zealand before the Government announced a total closure of its borders but after it announced anyone entering the country must self-quarantine for 14 days. He documented his experience in a series of videos posted to Facebook.
"I knew, from that announcement [self-quarantine], that things would only get worse in terms of flights between Asia and New Zealand so I made the decision to fly home ASAP and check out their new measures.
"It's a bit of a damning analysis of New Zealand's preparedness for COVID-19, for example, I spent 25 hours coming through immigration in China because of the risk I posed having passed through Japan, versus a LITERAL five-second (not a typo) process entering Auckland from China via Japan," he says.
Last week, Director General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield told The AM he had confidence in the process at the border.
Boreham's documentation comes after criticism last week New Zealand was still not doing enough at the border. Auckland woman Maree Glading wrote on Facebook of her experience at the airport on Wednesday, claiming she was not told what was involved with self-isolation.
Asked about the claims last week, Dr Bloomfield said, "That surprises me.
"I do know that as people go through the border, there is a whole lot happening all at once and people are thinking about different things - the expectation of self-isolation is really clear to any passenger coming in," he told The AM Show.
Currently, anyone entering New Zealand must self-isolate for 14 days.
"Because direct flights between China and New Zealand were stopped weeks ago, and because most countries and regions I could transit through wouldn't allow me to enter because of having been in mainland China I was forced to transit through Japan's Narita airport in Tokyo," Boreham says.
When he arrived at Auckland Airport, he filmed an official giving him a card with information about self-isolation, who asked him if he had been "feeling unwell", before sending him on his way.
"They didn't care that I'd just come from China and I was allowed into my home country," Boreham says.
After spending just one night in New Zealand, Boreham got back on a flight to Tokyo to make his way back to Shanghai amid fears those borders would also close.
"I got on my flight to Shanghai with Spring Airlines in Tokyo and it was a completely different picture," he says.
"When I arrived in Shanghai I experience the measures being taken to stem the flow of COVID-19 back into China.
"I was asked multiple questions, had my temperature taken several times and was soon allowed to find my way to a counter for the district I live in. From there they took about 12 of us, Chinese and foreigners to a testing facility in our district."
After waiting overnight to be tested for coronavirus - in which his test came back negative - Boreham says he waited 14 hours in the facility before finally being taken home in a bus where they were followed by the police.
"I'm on a STRICT two-week quarantine, with a device attached to my door that will notify authorities if I open it."
On Thursday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced New Zealand's borders would close to non-residents in an attempt to stop the spread of COVID-19.
