New Zealand-style quarantine centres needed here: expert
Ireland should introduce New Zealand-style quarantine centres for international arrivals to stop the cycle of lockdowns, an expert has said.
Professor Martin Mckee, a member of the independent Sage advisory group, also warned against the Executive lifting measures until an effective plan to control the spread of Covid-19 was put in place.
New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern has been widely praised for the strict and decisive measures she introduced.
Belfast-born Prof Mckee, a professor of European public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said a range of measures were necessary to stop a variant form of the virus from taking hold here.
A failure to do this could be “catastrophic” for Northern Ireland, he warned.
Prof Mckee was speaking as the Executive is due to today review the current lockdown, which began on Boxing Day and saw schools, restaurants, pubs, close-contact services and non-essential retailers close.
The lockdown measures are meant to remain in place until February 6, but Prof Mckee said a relaxation of the restrictions should only be considered once case levels are close to zero.
“My view is that we really need to get case numbers down dramatically,” he added.
“What we don’t want to happen now is for a variant form (of the virus) that is resistant to the vaccines to develop — that would be catastrophic.
“I don’t believe the test, trace and isolate system in Northern Ireland is working properly.
“We need to better support people who have to isolate. People want to isolate when it’s necessary, but we have to ensure they are able to.”
The majority of international arrivals to Northern Ireland are required to isolate for 10 days. From today, they must provide proof of a negative Covid test, taken 72 hours before departure.
However, Prof Mckee said stricter border controls must be put in place on an all-ireland basis to reduce the risk of outbreaks and the arrival of variant strains that could devastate the vaccination programme, which has been hailed by officials as “the roadmap out of the pandemic”.
“Independent Sage believes quarantine centres, set up in the likes of hotels, are absolutely essential, but it must be done on an all-ireland basis,” he continued.
“I think we need to be particularly careful at this stage as the vaccine is being rolled out.
“This creates the perfect conditions for rapid spread of a vaccine-resistant variant.
“We really need to get down as close to zero cases as possible and accept that there will be outbreaks from time to time, but if you have proper measures like an efficient test, trace and isolate system and quarantine centres, like the hotels they have set up in New Zealand, you can jump on outbreaks and get them under control as quickly as possible.
“If you don’t have those systems in place and the case numbers are too high, you are going to constantly be going through cycles of lockdowns, which no one wants.
“No one can plan ahead with the way things are. Who is going to book a holiday, what restaurant owner is going to invest in their business and perhaps renovate or put in a new kitchen when they don’t know what is going to happen from month to month?”
The Department of Health was contacted for comment.