[ad_1]
Dr Baker said measures could include requiring a pre-departure quarantine period and COVID-19 testing for travelers. If they tested positive, their trip should be postponed for an appropriate period, he said.
“These measures would, of course, be in addition to current quarantine and testing requirements within New Zealand. The goal would be to reduce the number of COVID-19 positive travelers spending time inside New Zealand’s managed quarantine and isolation facilities. “.
Professor Nick Wilson from the University of Otago Department of Public Health agreed that the large number of new cases “is imposing additional burdens and risks on New Zealand’s quarantine system.”
“It should promote serious work by health authorities to further reduce risks,” he said.
Professor Wilson said COVID-19 testing before the trip would help reduce the burden on our country’s quarantine system.
But he said that if the New Zealand government is “really serious about reducing another outbreak,” it should stop the use of hotels as MIQ facilities in our largest cities.
“You should also seriously look at the pros and cons of specially built quarantine facilities in places like Ōhakea airbase. A cost-benefit analysis that took into account the huge economic cost of the recent Auckland outbreak could tip the balance. Towards a High-Quality Approach for Quarantine Facilities “.
Dr. Amanda Kvalsvig, a senior researcher at the University of Otago public health department, added that a review was needed to ensure the border is secure.
“If a loophole is left for the virus, we can be sure that sooner or later it will be exploited.”
