AUCKLAND (NZ Punjabi News Service): In view of new community case of COVID-19 been confirmed at managed isolation facility at Sudima Hotel, public health expert Nick Wilson has said that New Zealand’s border system needs urgent review.
An employee of hotel at Christchurch Airport tested positive on Monday. Professor Wilson from the University of Otago told Morning Report the government is brushing over the issue by saying we can control occasional border incursions - but they should be seen as system failures.
The Christchurch worker returned a negative test on Thursday, October 29 as part of routine testing for staff at the facility, but developed symptoms and was tested again on Sunday which returned the positive result on Monday.
31 persons from 237 members of international fishing been isolated at hotel have tested positive for COVID – 19. The hotel employee had visited the Countdown supermarket on Colombo Street on Sunday. Countdown general manager of corporate affairs Kiri Hannifin said staff were told about the case on Monday night. She said the store had since been deep cleaned by third-party, professional cleaners.
Wilson said the cycle of infection from across the border had to be stopped. "We've had now six border failures since the start of August - and that includes the large Auckland August outbreak - so things are definitely not working properly." The government needs to "up its game", he said.
Wilson said people in isolation at Sudima were sharing rooms, which was a breach of normal quarantine practice. Even when this was not occurring, hotels are not designed for quarantine, with "shared airspace" and unsuitable ventilation systems.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, however, said the case was caught early which shows the routine testing regime is working.