Ship crews now face managed isolation
AUCKLAND: Two of the country’s biggest ports are now requiring all international crews to do 14 days in managed isolation — and they want other ports to follow suit.
The ports of Auckland and Tauranga made the move despite Health Minister Chris Hipkins saying yesterday it would mean many ships would not come to New Zealand.
Mr Hipkins told RNZ every crew member entering the country could soon be required to be tested for Covid 19 but he was yet to decide whether to put all shipping crews through managed isolation.
The current situation is that crew members flown into New Zealand are taken straight to the port to join their vessel if it is leaving port that day, after being collected by a vehicle with a driver in PPE gear.
Ports of
Auckland’s general communications manager Matt
Ball said the
14day managed isolation requirement was introduced last week, after it became clear the likely source of the current port worker cluster was eight Philippine seamen who went through the port untested.
Mr Ball said the port had a positive response from its shipping companies regarding the requirement.
He said it gave crews and shipping companies reassurance there were no infected people on board.
A Port of Tauranga spokesman said the company sent an advisory notice to shipping agents on Tuesday night requiring international crew members joining a vessel in Tauranga to complete 14 days in managed isolation and test negative for Covid19.
The port understood this created logistical challenges for its shipping line customers, the notice said.
‘‘However, we cannot risk having to close the port due to operational staff being in quarantine.’’
Port Otago chief executive
Kevin Winders declined to comment last night but said he would comment today.
The Ministry of Health did not answer specific questions.
In a statement yesterday it said it regularly reviewed the Covid19 strategy to ensure it remained fit for purpose for its elimination strategy.
This included reviewing the testing programme for port workers and crew members.
Health officials were working closely with border agencies on how to limit the risk of Covid19, it said.
Yesterday marked six straight days of no Covid cases in the community, but health authorities were still questioning how the virus once again slipped through New Zealand’s borders.
It was the longest run of no new cases in the community since the marine engineer tested positive for the virus on October 16.
Directorgeneral of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield yesterday announced all close and casual contacts of the engineer had tested negative for the virus.
Overall there had been nearly 40,000 tests since the case was announced.
This was despite two of the man’s colleagues, who also boarded the foreign vessel Sofrana Surville, testing positive and visiting Auckland venues including Malt Bar in Greenhithe on the Friday evening, a gym, bank and several stores.
While the potential for an outbreak would remain until two full incubation cycles after October 16 — 28 days — so far it appeared Auckland city may have dodged a bullet that could have plunged it back into lockdown.
Infectious diseases expert Prof David Murdoch said the main thing learnt from the rapid containment of the cluster was that the system was working as intended.
‘‘It has been picked up quickly. We’ve managed to find the source.
‘‘Unlike the previous outbreak, there’s been rigorous contact tracing and genome sequencing.’’
Just two new cases of Covid19 were announced yesterday, both caught at the border. — The New Zealand Herald