New toilet block at isolation ‘pit-stop’
A special toilet block in Waikato for quarantined travellers is likely to come as a relief for more than just those heading to managed isolation.
For several months people travelling by bus to managed isolation facilities across the North Island have been stopping at the Waharoa Aerodrome, 10km from Matamata.
However, worries from aerodrome users over the busloads of masked travellers using their facilities have prompted a quest for an alternative.
Over the winter, the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment asked Matamata-Piako District Council to find a site where buses could stop. At the time council was not aware it was to be a longer term proposition.
Initially, the concerns were that the aerodrome ablutions were not available to users when isolation buses were on-site, council’s group manager business support Manaia Te Wiata said.
‘‘There were also concerns about potential cross-contamination,’’ he said.
Council said safeguards were in place to ensure the facilities were well managed, with no risk to aerodrome users.
‘‘There was also a decision that no isolation buses are to visit during specified dates when large events are held,’’ Te Wiata said.
But, with no sign of an ease in border restrictions, officials haven’t been sitting down on the job with a separate portable toilet installed at the site.
The separate facilities, including a trailer mounted toilet block, was put in place on December 14 and is located inside the front entranceway of the aerodrome on the left-hand side. It is a temporary facility for managed isolation bus passengers only.
The block is fenced and clearly marked with signage and kept locked so only the bus travellers can use it. Regular cleaning takes place with hospital grade disinfectant and after the last bus leaves the toilets are cleaned and fogged – a special deep cleaning technique.
Council is planning to apply for resource consent to build longer term facilities, which could take around three months. It’s hoped this could be done by April or May 2021.
The Ministry has indicated the facilities will remain in place for two years.
Isolation buses and all additional costs related to these toilets are the responsibility of Central Government and are not funded by ratepayers.