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Tom Lee / Stuff
Brigadier General Jim Bliss, the new Chief of Isolation and Managed Quarantine (MIQ) for National Defense, was in Hamilton on Sunday to see the Ibis and Distinction hotels.
The people of Hamilton, and New Zealand in general, do not need to live in fear of more massive leaks from their local Covid quarantine hotels, acknowledges Brigadier Jim Bliss.
Bliss, who replaced Air Commodore Darryn Webb earlier this month as Chief of Isolation and Managed Quarantine (MIQ), was in Hamilton on Sunday to see the Ibis Tainui, Jet Park and Distinction hotels, where arrivals from overseas have been watching from its 14-day standdown before going into partnership.
This latest facility was the scene of a dramatic incident in July, in which five members of the same family escaped and fled the hotel.
The fugitives sparked a large-scale night chase that scared nearby residents and angered city politicians; however, Bliss said she did not expect such events to happen again.
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“I’m sure we have the best security plans in place. These are not prisoners, they are not detention centers. It is a partnership between returnees, management and staff, ”he said.
In the July mass escape from the Hotel Distinction, it turned out that the fugitives were a 37-year-old woman and her children, 18, 17, 16 and 12, who were trying to get to see the bodies of the recently deceased children. father.
The mother, who cannot be identified because her children are being cared for under the jurisdiction of the Juvenile Court, was sentenced to 14 days in prison in August.
Approximately 85,000 people had crossed the New Zealand border since the New Zealand government put in place strict controls, and to date there have only been ten “leak incidents”.
“Most people are very, very obedient and follow the rules and just want to get on with their lives. Security at those facilities has been improved with new fences and CCTV, and the Defense Force is coming in to provide an additional level of support. ”
Each of the Hamilton facilities had a four-member Defense Force personnel management team, with security split between soldiers and local security company personnel.
Bliss said she was extremely happy with the “continuous improvement” of the Hamilton facility as time went on, including the increased integration and cooperation of hotel management and staff, defense personnel and medical personnel.
Bliss seems suitable for MIQ work. Until his appointment in early December, he had served as Commander of the Land Component at New Zealand Joint Forces Headquarters. Many of his roles during his 30-year Army career had been in operations planning or leadership.
While the future was difficult to predict, he said he expected the facilities to remain operational well into 2021, as variables such as the availability of Covid vaccines and possible travel bubbles with Australia and the Pacific Islands were determined.
Those changes could fundamentally change the country’s border controls, he said.
“We are closely analyzing what ifs. We need to be agile … [and] reactive to any policy change. “
Most of the 32 quarantine facilities across the country were booked through March.
“Returnees arrive by bus and representatives from Tainui and the hotel management team strive to keep them fully informed.
“They go through health checks and wellness checks to make sure their stay is smooth.
“Each returnee has his own story. It’s up to the staff to make sure their 14 days are as enjoyable as possible for them. “
