Leader of the Opposition Todd Muller was scathing in his criticism of Health Minister David Clark after he appeared to criticise Dr Ashley Bloomfield’s handling of recent Covid border breaches which resulted in new cases of the disease in New Zealand.
Dr Bloomfield was pictured standing behind Clark looking sheepish as the minister shifted the blame for the breaches saying “The director-general has accepted that protocols weren’t being followed, he has accepted responsibility for that and has set about putting it right.”
In a media release this morning, Muller labelled Clark’s treatment of Bloomfield as a “disgrace”.
“Health Minister David Clark has finally turned up to work, and when he did, his first job was to throw his Director-General of Health under the bus,” said Muller.
He added “He humiliated a man we have grown to respect and trust during lockdown.
“While Dr Bloomfield has fronted up day after day, Clark hasn’t even bothered to look at the quarantine arrangements that are so vital in protecting New Zealand from the virus.
“Clark is the very definition of a ‘non-essential worker’.”
