Incubating, not isolating

Stuff reports:

Social distancing protocols are being ignored.

People mingling with others at different points in their isolation, as children run riot in the hallways.

Nurses stationed in hotels are leaving work in floods of tears after copping abuse.

Some are even refusing Covid-19 tests.

These are some of the allegations made by people from two of the country’s border hotels. …

McEwan also filed a complaint on Thursday after “a huge influx of new arrivals” were put in rooms “surrounding her”.

“They’ve been socialising in each others’ rooms. Children playing in the hallway. And I said to the hotel, it is actually making me quite anxious because I am coming to the end of my quarantine.

“I’m healthy. I’m well. I’ve followed the rules. And now I am being put at risk by people who are fresh off a flight. Yesterday, I was quite stressed about it,” McEwan said. …

“It has become clear that the policies and procedures in place regarding testing are not down to negligence at a facility level, but a direct order from the Ministry of Health itself.

It is clear the isolation facilities are a mess.

I like the idea from David Seymour that we should not be mixing new arrivals with people near the end of their isolation. He suggests there should be seven isolation facilities and each takes two days worth of arrivals, so that you don’t have new people mixing with old.

I’d also stipulate that any facilities used for isolation should be exclusively for that purpose – no other guests. Covid-19 will cost us over $100 billion and the Government is being too cheap to buy out entire hotels for the duration.

I’d also suggest we only have one port of entry – Auckland. No international flights to other centres. That way you have just seven isolation facilities in Auckland, and after people are released they can do domestic travel to their ultimate destination.

This should not be beyond the Government.