A woman in self-isolation after visiting Italy says despite authorities in New Zealand knowing she was arriving, no precautions were taken at the airport to limit her contact with other travellers.
Eloise - who has asked for her last name not to be used - says she is showing no signs of illness but is being cautious nonetheless.
"I'm perfectly healthy," the mother-of-three told The AM Show on Wednesday, saying that while in Italy she didn't take public transport or visit any hotspots.
Five days into her self-isolation, she says so far she is making the most of it.
"I'm not frustrated at all, I'm actually loving it. It's like a two-week extension to my three-week holiday to be honest."
Although her family continue to share the house with her, she says she is careful not to cook for them or get too close.
"I can take my dogs for a walk, I can do my gardening, watch TV...[I can] carry on life as normal but avoiding my family as much as I can."
Eloise says she was flagged in Singapore after alerting authorities during a stopover that she had visited northern Italy. Despite that, no measures were taken in New Zealand when she arrived to limit her contact with other travellers.
"That was really really ridiculous, quite embarrassing actually," she said.
"It was frustrating more than anything to be standing there. All I wanted to do was get through customs and get my bag and see my family again. And I had to wait and wait and wait.
"Also, they knew we were coming because we'd been flagged in Singapore as having been to Italy so why I was left in a queue waiting I don't know."
After arriving home she phoned the Healthline number [0800 358 5453] to register and was told she should self-isolate for 14 days from the date of departure, meaning she was free to leave her home on Wednesday March 18.
But her friend who she travelled with received conflicting information.
"My friend who came home on the same flights as I did has been told that her last date of isolation is Friday the 20th - so what is it?"
Seeing that Italy has gone into lockdown now, Eloise says she feels "really grateful" that she made it home when she did.
"It was my first ever experience going to Italy. I absolutely loved it, I loved the place, the history, the people, the food - it was amazing. But it's just really really sad that this has happened."
