The cracks in fortress New Zealand have been laid bare - but despite a surge in new COVID-19 cases, the criteria for getting a test is tightening up.
A cough or cold was once enough to warrant a swab, but that's no longer the case. Queues of cars, bumper-to-bumper, are stretching down the road as our cold and flu season goes into full swing.
People are on edge - but for the past several weeks, anyone with even a sniffle had been told they should be tested for COVID-19.
Every day sets a new record - more than 10,000 tests were conducted yesterday - but now the testing criteria is tightening.
The Ministry of Health will no longer require people with cold or flu symptoms to get a swab, unless they're high-risk or connected to travel or the border.
"As we come into winter there'll be an increase of people who have respiratory symptoms. Clinicians will be best-placed to determine whether or not they require a test," Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield says.
The move is expected to put an end to the queues, and GPs say it will allow them to focus more on their patients and provide some vital breathing room.
"Everyone's getting really tired, it's quite physically demanding actually doing the swabs, wearing the [personal protective equipment] and all of that is quite exhausting," GP Vanessa Weenink said.
But with some major bungles at isolation facilities in recent days, is tightening the net a wise move?
The confidence of the public might be a way off yet.
