Call me: several soldiers admonished after MIQ incidents

Several Defense Forces soldiers have been reprimanded and one has even been charged for misconduct while working in the country’s administered isolation facilities.

One soldier showed an “explicit image” to a civil guard, another gave his personal phone number to a returnee while displaying “inappropriate behavior” towards other civil security guards.

The incidents occurred in October and November at hotels in Rotorua and Auckland, details disclosed to Stuff under the Official Information Act show.

Two other complaints were dismissed.

The first incident occurred on the Rydges Rotorua on October 22.

Apparently, the soldier displayed antisocial behavior towards the civilian security guards.

The complaint was confirmed and the soldier was removed from his duties and was deemed inappropriate to continue participating in the project.

Four days later, at the Ibis in Rotorua, a soldier showed a civil guard an “explicit image” on his phone. He was also removed from his duties and, although he was not charged, he received further training in sexual ethics and respectful relationships.

A soldier working at the Novotel in Ellerslie on November 9 was dismissed and charged after giving a returnee his personal phone number on a sheet of paper.

Since June, Sudima, Ibis and Rydges hotels have provided facilities for returning citizens to safely isolate themselves, creating more than 200 jobs.

Approximately 75,000 have returned to Aotearoa, and 3,500 have completed their two-week managed isolation stay in Rotorua.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health has ruled out the installation of an isolation and quarantine facility managed in one of the country’s New Zealand Defense Forces camps, despite calls from one of the country’s leading epidemiologists.

Professor Michael Baker suggested the construction of a state-of-the-art facility at the Ohakea Air Force base, which could also be used in future pandemics.

However, a spokesperson for Managed Isolation and Quarantine said a key limitation of the idea was finding the number of essential workers needed.

“We need nurses, defense personnel, and police to run these facilities, and this is a limited workforce.”

“In addition to labor supply problems, a minority of hotels meet our requirements.

“There are a limited number of suitable facilities found in places where there is also an adequate hospital facility.”