America’s Cup: Luna Rossa’s sailor complains about New Zealand isolation / quarantine facilities

An America’s Cup sailor has expressed frustration at the state of one of New Zealand’s Managed Isolation and Quarantine facilities, calling it “degrading” and “unacceptable”.

But Rotorua’s Sudima hotel says staff removed a large piece of furniture from Luna Rossa’s Andrea Tesei room to allow equipment to be worn, meaning the dust became visible.

Tesei has been admitted to the hotel for mandatory isolation before joining his team to prepare for next year’s America’s Cup in Auckland.

In a now-deleted Instagram post, Tesei expressed her surprise at the state of the room with a photo of what she had picked up on a dustpan while sweeping the floor.

“I am absolutely not prone to social complaints, but I definitely believe that the situation we are experiencing is quite degrading and unacceptable. We were (rightly) imposed a 14-day quarantine period upon arriving in New Zealand, at a chosen hotel at the random after landing, “he added. he wrote.

“We chose bad luck with @sudimahotels in Rotorua, which was already reported in the @nzherald in the previous days for not meeting hygiene and cleanliness standards. It is clear that the rooms have not been cleaned and disinfected for a long time and after from the permanence of previous guests, which feels absurd since we are here to prevent the spread of the virus in the country that is hosting us for the # americascup.Keep in mind that this service is not free and costs $ 3100 per person !! self-cleaning kits and this is the result of a few minutes kneeling on the floor with a brush and shovel.

“I want to make it clear that the military and medical personnel overseeing the structure have always been super cooperative and friendly, assisting us in any request to facilitate our period. The hotel management is definitely not in the right spot if the goal is to fight a pandemic. global. “

When contacted by the Herald, Sudima Hotels produced a statement to explain the situation.

“Sudima Hotels is proud to host the Luna Rossa team members and has worked hard to accommodate various requests to ensure that their isolation experience is as comfortable as possible. This has included removing a large piece of furniture from the guest room, which it is generally a permanent fixture, to allow the use of a piece of equipment in your room (which was provided together with the NZDF); this has meant that the dust that had accumulated under this fixed piece of furniture became visible “, reads the release.

“Regular removal of permanent room furniture for deep cleaning is not possible in this environment, however strict room cleaning and disinfection protocols are followed.

“We apologize for any discomfort experienced and encourage guests to call our front desk team if there is anything the hotel staff can do to improve their day.”

A spokesperson for Managed Isolation and Quarantine said they had relayed Tesie’s comments to hotel management and urged anyone else to raise their concerns with the facility manager or wellness coordinator.

“Regular and thorough cleaning in strict adherence to health guidelines is a fundamental requirement of each facility and its staff,” the statement said.

“All Managed Isolation and Quarantine facilities have been conducting infection prevention and control audits, which include review of environmental cleanup procedures. These audits are a way to ensure that prevention and prevention processes and procedures are in place. of infections “.

Last week, a man who spent two weeks at the same hotel claimed it was “a horrible place” with cracked walls, mold, broken furniture, torn curtains and a blocked shower drain.

The Auckland man, who was quarantined with his partner, also said he was not surprised that a person had escaped from Rotorua’s Sudima Hotel, comparing what he described as “depressing” living conditions there to a prison.

Managed Isolation and Quarantine staff confirmed that they “received complaints from the couple and that a member of the MIQ complaints staff had apologized to the couple for their experience.”

“We have received excellent comments from other returnees about this hotel, but we have relayed this person’s comments to the hotel management.”

Tesei, Luna Rossa skipper Max Sirena, and 25 other team members are undergoing their 14-day quarantine before setting up their base in Auckland.

Their second Cup ship will fly from Italy next week and most of the team should be based in Auckland on 10 October.