A Kiwi epidemiologist living in Victoria believes the way Auckland's borders are being policed could stop the country from returning to its elimination status.
Tony Blakely told Newshub border security is "critical". In Australia, anyone wanting to leave the state of Victoria needs to apply for a 14-day permit to cross the border.
"Unfortunately, we have learned in Australia that borders are easily breached, and more so in a trust system.
"If NZ is to return to an elimination state, it requires hard-nosed actions but with strong communication to the public as to why."
In Auckland, meanwhile, roadblocks are being managed by the police, the Defence Force, and iwi. No documentation or proof is needed to cross over.
Sgt Andrew Heath told Newshub on Wednesday that they are relying on the word of the driver.
In the first 17 hours of alert level 3 in Auckland, 17,000 were stopped leaving and entering the super city and just 300 per turned around.
People are only allowed to cross the Auckland borders if it is essential.
A haircut, building dog kennels, and picking up a bed someone bought on TradeMe are among the reasons people have wanted to cross the border.
