Hamilton prepped for mass burials
Plans for a mass burial with 1000 plots were drawn up in Hamilton as officials across the country braced for the onslaught of coronavirus.
Hamilton City Council’s pandemic plan was finalised in March and, while not specific to Covid-19, details how grim the crisis could have got under a worst-case scenario.
Based on infection and death rates experienced during the 1918 influenza pandemic, the plan preps for 40 per cent of the population becoming ill over an eight-week period and a fatality rate of two per cent.
When applied to Waikato’s population, a ‘‘severe-level event’’ would see 43,400 people become infected in a single week during the height of the pandemic. Waikato’s weekly death rate would surge as high as 870 before levelling off.
As part of the city’s pandemic planning, officials identified land at the Hamilton Park Cemetery, in Newstead, for a mass burial.
‘‘When we talk about mass burials we’re not talking about crudely digging one big hole, we’re talking about burying a whole lot of people at once,’’ Maria Barrie, council’s parks and recreation manager, said.
‘‘We had identified an area on site where we had up to 1000 plots immediately available, and then we could move into other areas should it be needed.’’
Hamilton could be expected to take burials from Auckland due to a possible land shortage in the Super City. The park’s crematorium operates as a regional facility.
Barrie said during a worstcase pandemic scenario, the city council would be guided by the Health Ministry and the police coronial team, with the latter drawing up plans for a temporary morgue.
The Waikato DHB would be expected to increase its morgue capacity while storing the deceased temporarily at Newstead was another option for officials.
‘‘The planning puts some pressure on us but we would do our utmost in everything we do to maintain that dignity for our deceased,’’ Barrie said.
The Health Ministry advocates pandemic planning take into consideration a severelevel event.
Hamilton City Council general manager of city growth Jen Baird said the council’s pandemic plan outlines how the organisation operates its essential services during a crisis.
‘‘Delivering clean water to 180,000 people is the most important thing we do to maintain and support and protect the health of the community, that is our absolute priority,’’ Baird said.
The council initially used a colour alert system to guide its response to the unfolding Covid19
crisis but dropped it after the Government announced its four alert levels.
‘‘Back in January you’re playing the hand you’re dealt in terms of what you know about what’s happened before,’’ Baird said.
‘‘You can see in the pandemic plan that we’ve used a whole load of assumptions to try to think about what this could look like.’’
The city council also has a
12-point recovery plan to help Hamilton bounce back from
Covid-19.
Hamilton Mayor Paula Southgate said the council’s pandemic plan has served the city well, with staff working ‘‘all hours of the day and night’’ to keep the community safe.
When planning for an emergency, such as a pandemic, it’s important to take a precautionary approach.
‘‘People have to remember that this has been a learning curve for the whole world,’’ Southgate said.
‘‘People have to remember that this has been a learning curve for the whole world.’’ Mayor Paula Southgate.