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Abigail Dougherty / Stuff
Staff at the Jet Park quarantine hotel near Auckland Airport, where an arrival faces a much longer quarantine period than most.
An arrival from South Africa that has caught Covid-19 more than three weeks after landing in New Zealand will spend at least 39 days in quarantine.
But their disheartening period, necessary after they contracted the virus in quarantine from someone in their travel bubble, is still not New Zealand’s longest stay in managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ).
The person, whose identity is not publicly known, arrived in New Zealand on a flight from South Africa via the United Arab Emirates on December 26, 2020.
One of his fellow travelers tested positive after routine tests around the third day of his stay in an isolation hotel, a spokesman for the Health Ministry said.
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The case carried a new South African strain of Covid-19. The strain, 501Y.V2, or variant B.1.351, is proving to be more transmissible than other variants.
An article published in Nature January 21 suggests that the strain is better than others at eluding immune responses triggered by vaccines. “It is extremely worrying,” Tulio de Oliveira, a South African researcher, told the scientific journal.
The group arrived before New Zealand introduced the mandatory tests on arrival, in addition to the tests on days three and 12.
His travel bubble was transferred from an undisclosed isolation hotel to the Jet Park quarantine facility in Auckland on New Years Eve.
While at Jet Park, the other person was subjected to regular routine tests, the spokesperson said.
RICKY WILSON / THINGS
Senior Medical Officer Richard Chen and his colleagues at the Jet Park quarantine facility have assisted nearly every Covid-19 case from the Auckland August group (first published October 2020).
They returned a positive test on January 20 and will spend at least another 14 days in quarantine.
That means they will have passed from December 26 to at least February 3 at MIQ, a duration of 39 days or five and a half weeks.
Records from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), dating back to July, show that the longest quarantine stay is just over 40 days and ends on December 13.
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This was because the quarantine countdown was reset after someone in its bubble tested positive, the spokesperson said.
While stays can be extended due to people in shared bubbles testing positive, the most common reason is logistical issues, often related to transportation options.
Joseph Johnson / Stuff
Army personnel guarding the perimeter of the Sudima Hotel in Christchurch, which is used for controlled isolation and quarantine. (File photo)
“This is the most common reason why people stay one more night,” the spokesman said.
“If they are given clearance for their release late at night or during the night, we allow them to stay one more night and go out in the morning.”
An MIQ spokesperson working for MBIE, which oversees MIQ, said that if one member of a bubble tests positive for Covid-19 in an isolated hotel, the entire bubble is quarantined, regardless of whether the others have tested positive.
“Once they go into quarantine, their 14 days are reset to zero,” he said.
“This is to ensure that MIQ can detect positive cases of Covid-19, which can develop among other members of the bubble during their stay in quarantine.”
Jerome Delay / AP
People who have just been tested for COVID-19 wait in line to pay for the test at a private laboratory in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Saturday, December 19, 2020. South Africa prepares for its second wave, already that many people will travel to the provinces for vacations and to visit their families.
Daily health checks and wellness checks continue as long as a person remains at MIQ, the spokesperson said.
“If something comes up at these check-ups, such as mental health problems, the appropriate additional support is arranged. From time to time, those who must remain in quarantine for longer may require additional support through the Welfare team or specific health services. “
MIQ periods of approximately 40 days in New Zealand echo the story of the word “quarantine.”
Venetian drift quarantine, which means “forty days”, referring to the time it took for ships arriving in Venice to be isolated in the 15th century to prevent outbreaks of plague.
On December 28, the government announced an additional test on arrival for travelers from higher risk countries like the UK, triggered by the emergence of new virulent strains abroad.
Newcomers must remain in their isolation hotel rooms until this first test is negative.
This additional test was extended to all arrivals as of January 18, except those from Australia, Antarctica and some Pacific islands.
All travelers arriving after 11:59 PM on January 25, except those from Australia, Antarctica and most of the Pacific Islands, must test negative before departing for New Zealand.
