MIQ staffer quit over Covid safety
A woman who quit working at Christchurch’s managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ) facilities says she didn’t feel enough was being done to stop workers getting Covid-19 from guests.
The woman, who did not want to be named, worked at various facilities until early November, including the Distinction Hotel, the Commodore Hotel, Novotel Christchurch Airport and Sudima Christchurch Airport.
‘‘I didn’t feel safe enough to leave the hotel and go home and visit my parents or friends ... because we do have contact with the guests, and it wouldn’t take much for something to happen there and someone get sick,’’ she said.
The woman worked alongside New Zealand Defence Force and security staff to monitor guests in exercise areas, manage deliveries at the front desk and do ‘‘floor sweeps’’ to check guests were not congregating or breaking rules.
There were multiple instances of people not wearing masks and mixing with other people, she said.
‘‘One lady was trying to help another lady who didn’t have a phone, and she handed over her phone to the lady, and they hadn’t had their Covid tests.’’
Another concern was that people at different stages of the 14-day isolation period were able to use the common exercise area, which was not adequately separated from a smoking area in one hotel.
A MIQ spokesperson said the risk of having guests at different stages was managed with ‘‘very strict procedures’’.
Guests were required to follow physical distancing rules, wear appropriate personal protection equipment (PPE), practise hand hygiene, and not interact with other bubbles.
The ex-MIQ worker said there was a lack of consistent management between the different government agencies involved.
Workers were encouraged to raise concerns, but many did not feel they were listened to, she said.
The MIQ spokesperson said staff were expected to report any incidents and take concerns to their manager, who would escalate the incident ‘‘as necessary’’.
They were unable to say how many incidents had been raised at the country’s 32 facilities ‘‘as many of these will have been dealt with at the regional level in the first instance’’.
The ex-worker’s concerns were shared by some guests The Press has spoken to, but not all.
Dayle Jones, who arrived from Melbourne on Sunday said she had been impressed with the ‘‘gold standard’’ service at the Sudima Hotel in Rotorua.
‘‘I feel incredibly blessed, and incredibly safe.’’
Jones said during a stop on the bus trip from Auckland, staff in full PPE cleaned the portable toilets after each use. Guests could go to an outdoor area whenever they wanted, but the numbers using it at any one time were capped, and staff monitored them to ensure they kept a 2-metre distance and wore masks. ‘‘We all walk in one direction, we’ve all got our masks on, there’s sanitiser everywhere,’’ she said.