MIQ booking system swamped

AUCKLAND: New Zealanders are struggling to book flights home for Christmas because of delays in getting a spot in managed isolation.

A new booking system launched yesterday was inundated by travellers wanting to secure a place for their twoweek isolation, causing the website to temporarily crash.

The uncertainty of international air travel during the Covid pandemic meant expatriates could not immediately secure bookings beyond November.

Returning New Zealanders are now required to get a voucher to secure entry to isolation facilities.

After an initial grace period, it will become mandatory for people returning after November 3.

They will not be able to board a plane without it.

A managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ) spokeswoman said the website went live at 8am and 7500 returnees had registered by 1.30pm.

She said flight data was being loaded on the website only once MIQ was confident about their reliability.

‘‘Due to the international upheaval to air travel caused by

Covid19, flight data a few months out can be very changeable.’’

Flight details for December and January would be updated by the end of the day, the spokeswoman said.

Travellers can reserve a spot in managed isolation for 48 hours while they book their flights.

Since New Zealand went into lockdown in late March, 56,764 people have been through managed isolation facilities.

There was one new case of Covid19 reported yesterday, in managed isolation, the Ministry of Health said. — The New Zealand Herald