Grief and anxiety in isolation
For Amanda Wright, having to spend 14 days under managed isolation at the Auckland Airport Novotel due to the coronavirus is hard to take.
The mother of four returned to New Zealand from Australia on Saturday after crossing the Tasman to visit her dying sister. Wright said when she arrived back in the country she thought she would be able to return home to Christchurch and self-isolate with her family.
She said she asked for an exemption, but was told it only applied to individuals with pre-existing medical conditions that can’t be cared for in a hotel.
Wright said she’s been in daily contact with her husband and children online, but it’s still been tough because she’s still grieving for her sister who passed away.
According to the Ministry of Health there are currently 330 people in managed isolation at the Auckland Airport Novotel.
And Wright isn’t the only person who has found the enforced stay at the airport hotel hard going. Aviation Security Services station manager Nicky McKinney said a woman was found in a distressed state in the Novotel car park on April 14 by security officers.
According to McKinney, the woman was in her thirteenth day of managed isolation and the police were called and issued her with a warning.
She said the woman was outside the hotel and wasn’t supposed to be and was clearly in an anxious state.
They said such cases are generally managed with a verbal or formal warning.
According to a spokesperson for the Ministry of Health the Auckland Airport Novotel is currently only used for managed isolation and not quarantine.
‘‘For people returning to New Zealand there are two streams that they can go into. Firstly managed isolation for those that are asymptomatic as assessed at a health check as they enter New Zealand. Secondly quarantine for those who are symptomatic.
‘‘Quarantine has a higher level of clinical management, stricter infection control requirements, and greater restrictions on movements. People can move between the two categories. If originally assigned to quarantine a person may move to a managed isolation category following a negative COVID-19 test and becoming asymptomatic.’’
For Wright, she is still counting down the days until she can get back to Christchurch to be with her family. She said she already spent 14 days in self-isolation at home in March after visiting her sister in Australia last month.
‘‘It’s been a really, really stressful time. I don’t know what else to do, but I know I’m not the only one.’’