Luck of the draw in the MIQ experience

A survey of people who stayed in Managed Isolation and Quarantine (MIQ) as part of New Zealand’s Covid strategy has found the quality of accommodation varied considerably.

Of the 75 people surveyed, one went into quarantine after contracting Covid in this country, while all the rest were returning travellers. Participants were aged from 20 to 68, with 61 of them women and 14 men. They stayed at eight separate MIQ hotels in five cities between April 2020 and July 2021.

Although many participants felt the arrival and transfer were well managed, others were surprised by aspects of the process, such as a lack of compliance with physical distancing and a general sense of disorganisation.

One participant said: ‘‘. . . we had to wait 2 hours for the flight before us to be processed. We had no food or water. We then were herded into lines unable to social distance . . . Finally boarded our flight to Christchurch with random boarding passes. I didn’t make it to my room until 5:30pm – 9.5 hours after landing and 24 hours since I boarded the flight in LA.’’

Almost a third of participants were transferred from Auckland Airport to MIQ hotels in other cities by bus or domestic flights, the study said. Most were not told they would be transferred until they had landed or disembarked.

For some, not knowing their final destination added stress and discomfort to an already stressful process. This was also cited as an example of an MIQ system with no individual choice or options.

‘‘Giving us information about our MIQ location before we depart would be really helpful. Also – why fly us to South Island when we live in North Island (I get the capacity thing) but surely we didn’t have to get on another plane. Having to wait another 6 hours after a tiring

flight was difficult,’’ a participant said.

Variability between hotels was noted by a number of participants and this was illustrated by the wide range of feedback on the rooms, the study said.

‘‘Small, Dated, Stinky, Dirty. I hated every minute of this place,’’ one participant said.

A prominent factor in how the overall MIQ experience was reported was the quality of meals provided, the study said.

The lack of choice, the paucity of fresh fruit and vegetables, and the timing and temperature of the meals was noted, even by those who thought the food was generally very good.

One survey participant said: ‘‘It was fabulous. Everything was hot enough and very tasty . . . I mean honestly we hit the jackpot staying here.’’

But for another participant: ‘‘Food was beige all the time, I took photos to send to my family to see if they could spot any vegetables. Occasionally there would be a stray carrot stick or broccoli floret that had got lost and ended up in my ... tray!! It was heavily processed and full of fat and especially sugar. They would also call you for Covid tests as soon as meals arrived.’’

The ability to exercise was limited in some hotels by lack of open spaces.

The study authors concluded that the high degree of variability in the hotels used for MIQ had to be addressed.

‘‘Greater consideration also is needed for accommodating and supporting families, especially large groups, during MIQ.’’

Most of the researchers involved in the study were from the University of Otago, Wellington, or the Joint Centre for Disaster Research at Massey University in Wellington.

‘‘MIQ of some form will be with many countries for some time to come,’’ the authors said.

The study was published in the International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction.