Quarantine hotels here for long haul — Woods
Don’t expect quarantine hotels to disappear any time soon.
They’ll be around for as long as they’re needed, according to the minister overseeing them, Megan Woods.
However, the Government might have to ‘‘smooth’’ demand to make sure there’s enough space for returning Kiwis.
‘‘New Zealanders are increasingly coming home from places in the world where there’s Covid,’’ the housing minister said.
‘‘There’s something scary going on in the world, and they want to feel safe at home.
‘‘We’re seeing some countries with very high figures that are not expected to peak for another two, three, or four months in terms of their cases.
‘‘I think, increasingly, New Zealanders who are living overseas are looking back home and thinking, that’s a pretty attractive prospect. I want to get back there.’’
Citizens and permanent residents have a fundamental right to return, Woods said.
And they have been, in increasing numbers.
By mid-June, around 2500 returnees entered managed isolation or quarantine facilities each week.
That was a 73 per cent increase on the first week of April, according to a recent review of the facilities.
More facilities are being created to take them in, though Woods said the Government has also been open about looking to ‘‘smooth’’ the demand so it can be met.
‘‘We’ve got a good 14-day line of sight ... where we are matching supply and demand,’’ Woods said. ‘‘We know – plus or minus I think it’s seven per cent – the number of people that will be arriving.
‘‘It’s fair to say it’s being very closely monitored.’’
Two Hamilton hotels were announced as the latest additions to the isolation and quarantine network late last week.
Upcoming demand for quarantine is likely to be affected by ramped-up coronavirus restrictions in Victoria, Australia – and consequences such as Air New Zealand flying cargo-only services there – so the Government is looking into that.
The isolation and quarantine system was started in a hurry around March 20, a recent review said.
Areas for improvement included the understanding of future demand- needed for longterm planning – and getting flight passenger lists earlier.
Previously, those details didn’t appear in the system until the plane took off, making planning particularly difficult for shorter flights from Australia.
There are not only more flights now, but also more people on each one, assistant chief of Defence, Air Commodore Digby Webb said.
Asked if more isolation facilities would be needed – in the Waikato or elsewhere – he said they were reviewing supply and demand.
‘‘We’ll continue to meet that as the need arises.’’
Setting up a new facility is about more than an available hotel, Woods said, it also requires clinical staffers and sufficient hotel staffers.
In Hamilton, she and Webb spoke to wider stakeholders such as the police, local iwi and the mayor.
Teams on site are working long hours, outside their normal roles, and showing empathy to returnees, Webb said.
‘‘People come home, they want to get home. They can look out the window and see kids coming home from school, and they want to be part of that society,’’ he said. ‘‘Fourteen days is a bridge that they need to cross.’’
However, the vast majority are grateful and happy to be home, Woods said.