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The government has ordered Air New Zealand to freeze all international bookings to New Zealand, as projections show the country’s Covid-19 quarantine facilities approaching capacity.
New Zealand has 32 managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ) facilities across the country with a capacity of about 7,200 people. Since March 26, 66,441 people have passed through the facilities.
An Air New Zealand spokeswoman said Things The government ordered it on Wednesday night to suspend new international service bookings until Tuesday to help ensure that space was available in the quarantine accommodation for incoming passengers for the required 14-day period.
“We were informed of the requirement on Wednesday night and we took it accordingly,” the spokeswoman said.
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Figures from the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE) show that the projected occupancy in managed isolation facilities in 14 days is 6,062, leaving only 3 percent vacancies. Projected occupancy is based on ticket sales provided by airlines.
The restriction at MIQ’s facilities comes after a sustained period of overcapacity, with the average occupancy rate since Sept. 19 at 73 percent, according to MBIE data.
JARRED WILLIAMSON / Things
Air New Zealand has been using its Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners for most of its international flights during the pandemic.
Starting Tuesday, it will be mandatory for anyone planning to come to New Zealand to have a confirmed reservation at a facility using a new voucher system, called the Managed Isolation Assignment System (MIAS).
Airlines will not allow travelers to board a flight to New Zealand unless they have a coupon.
Ricky Wilson / Stuff
New Zealand Airlines Board of Representatives Justin Tighe-Umbers says travelers will not be able to board a plane without presenting a voucher.
Board of Airlines New Zealand CEO Justin Tighe-Umbers said airlines were seeing strong demand for seat reservations from people returning to New Zealand between now and Christmas.
“There is limited managed isolation and quarantined accommodation so people need to ensure they have obtained a place by obtaining a voucher from the New Zealand government,” he said.
This is not the first time that the government has instructed airlines to end bookings. In July, airlines froze new bookings for several weeks following a government request, so their MIQ facilities were not overwhelmed by returning New Zealanders seeking refuge from the worsening global pandemic.
Hagen Hopkins / Getty Images
Megan Woods, MIQ Acting Minister, says our strict border restrictions prioritize the return of New Zealanders. However, there have been recent immigration changes to allow exemptions for critical workers.
Megan Woods, MIQ Acting Minister, said the logistics of managing the flow of people into managed isolation, their corresponding immigration status and coordinating with airlines was a complex exercise.
“Although there has been a period of reduced demand recently, we are seeing an increase in demand with the approach of the Christmas holidays and the MIQ facilities will be operating at their target capacity,” said Woods. Things.
She said MIAS helped manage the timing of people entering New Zealand to ensure their place in a managed isolation facility.
“We strongly encourage everyone who has already purchased tickets to confirm with their airlines that their flight is operating and to ensure that they have an isolation voucher administered by the arrival date.”
CHURCH MINISTER SEEKING ANSWERS
West Hamilton Community Church Senior Minister Michael Hewat said he hired an assistant minister from Sydney in February to move to New Zealand in July, for a job helping disadvantaged youth.
But due to strict border restrictions, the new hire was still in Australia, even though there appeared to be a lot of MIQ capacity in the past, he said.
“For weeks, quarantine capacity has been underutilized and that seems crazy,” Hewat said.
Bruce Mercer / Stuff
West Hamilton Community Church Chief Minister Michael Hewat says he is happy to pay for the quarantine costs of his staff.
The church hired someone from Australia because it could not find a suitable candidate to fill the position in New Zealand, he said.
“It’s not like I’m taking a job from New Zealanders.”
He said that as an employer he was happy to pay for a worker’s MIQ costs.
“We just want to bring them here.
“It is silly not to have people who are going to be useful.”
He said there appeared to be a lack of communication and a justification behind the decisions around the border.
“There does not seem to be a clear political decision on where we are going.”
THE COST OF MIQ
A spokeswoman for Managed Isolation and Quarantine said MBIE had spent $ 59.8 million on MIQ installations since September 1.
That didn’t include October charges not yet billed, and it didn’t reflect all September and October charges because hotels bill at different times, he said.
The costs until August 31 were paid by the Ministry of Health, which did not return to Things with figures before the deadline.
MBIE paid a significantly reduced rate for vacant rooms, the spokeswoman said.
Rooms could be unoccupied for a variety of reasons, including rooms reserved for quarantine, resident personnel, aircrews, sailors, deportees, and rooms reserved as a contingency in case they were needed, for example, if needed an installation. evacuated or if there was an earthquake and guests needed to be moved to another facility.
Woods said the rooms were also not available when they underwent a deep cleaning.
KELLY HODEL / Things
Health Minister Chris Hipkins says there is high demand at the border.
Health Minister Chris Hipkins said last week that the vacancy rate was based on expected volumes of people from abroad.
“We will always need to have some vacancy rates because from time to time we need to accommodate people on short notice.”
In addition to the returning New Zealanders, workers with exemptions also entered, he said.
If the number of New Zealanders continues to decline, the government will seek to fill those spaces with the entry of other essential workers, he said.
“We have a priority list that we are working on.”
There has been great demand at the border, he said.
“Until now, most of our space was reserved for returnees.”
People who had work visas and had not been allowed to return under the category of returning residents and citizens were a priority area for the government to allow them to return to the country, he said.
