Border restrictions related to Covid are illegal

New Zealand’s government acted illegally by implementing its border controls to protect the country from Covid-19, the highest court ruling on Wednesday, April 27, finding that the system has denied some citizens the right to return home during the pandemic.

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In her ruling, Supreme Court Justice Jillian Malone said the government’s isolation and quarantine process had failed to adequately consider individual circumstances. For the judge, this system was an essential part of the strategy to combat the coronavirus, but its failure to take into account the specific needs of people meant that the government had acted.”unlawfully and unreasonably and in violation of the Bill of Rights which states that every New Zealand citizen has the right to enter New Zealand“.

The case was brought to Wellington High Court in February by “crushed kiwi«(«broken kiwi), a group that is campaigning for restrictions to be eased. According to this group, New Zealanders living abroad were denied their rights when these rules were in effect, between September 1 and December 17, 2021. Her only son was buried. Another was unable to attend while her son was undergoing treatment for cancer.

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The reception energies in isolation centers and hotels were also saturated for compulsory quarantine. Thousands of people could not get a seat, and the reservation system was based on a tie. The isolation and quarantine requirements for all New Zealand citizens were lifted in March 2022.