Fees under scrutiny

ation’s public health emergencies programme, said rich nations should not be charging their citizens for hotel quarantine.

The principle underpinning International Health Regulations, adopted by member states, was that travellers should not suffer financially as a result of restrictions used to protect the health of the population.

‘‘Because that then is unfairly burdening an individual with the costs of a public health action,’’ Ryan said.

‘‘What the committee were saying to governments was that they . . . should be covering the cost of that,’’ he told a virtual news conference from Geneva on Friday.

‘‘It’s a recommendation from the committee that all states should seriously consider the arrangements they put in place, how those arrangements are put in place and the fairness of those arrangements vis-a-vis the traveller.’’

About 20 per cent of New Zealanders going through managed isolation and quarantine have to pay, said Megan Main, joint head of MIQ.

The fees were introduced because ‘‘it wasn’t sustainable for the Government and tax-payers to continue to fund all the costs’’, she said.

As of May 9, 13,221 invoices for $60.8 million have been issued, with $38.3m paid. A further $16.4m is still within the 90-day limit, leaving $6.1m overdue. Of this, nearly $1 million is more than three months overdue and could be forwarded to debt collectors.

However, the Government does not monitor how many people have gone back overseas without paying the bill, but Main said this data would be available in the future.

The fee system was regularly reviewed, Main said.

The Ombudsman was approached for comment, but did not respond.