Fox News host attacks Jacinda Ardern's coronavirus policy and claims the New Zealand prime minister is locking up Kiwis in 'quarantine camps'
An American Fox News host has slammed Jacinda Ardern in an attack on New Zealand's policy of keeping people detained in quarantine hotels until they agree to take a coronavirus test.
Laura Ingraham, host of conservative news show The Ingraham Angle, claimed on Wednesday the New Zealand prime minister was locking up travellers in 'quarantine camps'.
Ingraham, 57, used a Facebook live clip of Ms Ardern answering questions on quarantine hotel procedures in June, to justify her claims.
'They're throwing people into quarantine camps,' she told viewers.
Scroll down for video
American Fox News host Laura Ingraham (pictured above) has slammed New Zealand's coronavirus pandemic response in a bizarre rant on The Ingraham Angle on Wednesday
Ingraham claimed New Zealand's Government and prime minister Jacinda Ardern (pictured above) was 'throwing people into quarantine camps' to fight the spread of the virus
'The American left and their media poodles have long held up New Zealand as the model for how to properly deal with a lot of things, including COVID.
'But anyone who loves freedom should take note because the Kiwis have a terrifying new response to rising COVID case numbers,' Ingraham said.
The four-month-old Facebook live clip showed Ms Ardern explaining all hotel quarantine guests must remain in isolation until they return a negative test.
'If someone refuses, in our facilities, to be tested, they have to keep staying. So they won't be able to leave after 14 days, they have to stay on for another 14 days.
'You either get your tests done and make sure you're cleared or we will keep you in the facility longer,' Ms Ardern said.
The prime minister said this was a 'good incentive' and explained 'most people will look at that and say "I'll take the test"'.
Ingraham then put on a New Zealand accent to mock Ms Ardern's video clip.
The conservative news presenter (Ingraham pictured) blasted New Zealand's two-week mandatory hotel quarantine system and also mocked Ms Ardern's accent
'No leaving the camp until you're negative,' the Fox News host said.
New Zealand has a similar quarantine system to Australia where travellers returning from overseas must isolate in a designated hotel for 14 days.
Ingraham used the clip, from June 29, to claim New Zealand was responding to current 'rising COVID case numbers'.
New Zealand has recorded 1,593 cases of Covid-19 and 25 deaths; a rate of 388 cases and five deaths per million of population.
That compares to 1,076 cases and 35 deaths per million in Australia, and 27,000 cases and 703 deaths per million in the United States.
New Zealand, which last recorded community transmission on October 23, currently has 70 active cases and reported 6 new cases in hotel quarantine on Thursday.
New Zealand previously enjoyed a 102-day streak of zero community transmission but battled against outbreaks in August and September.
New Zealand was declared coronavirus-free in June, after a strict national lockdown, and has since experienced small outbreaks (coronavirus testing in Auckland pictured above)