Covid 19 coronavirus: Pullman Hotel: Government introduces new strict rules for exercise and smoking

Strict new rules for exercise and smoking have been introduced in Auckland’s managed isolation facilities at the center of the latest community outbreak of Covid.

A Kiwi returning to the five-star Pullman hotel says new measures have been introduced at night that allow returnees to leave their rooms for a limited time during the day.

But everyone who wants to escape from their accommodation to exercise or smoke a cigarette must now reserve a time.

Also, only those returnees on the same flight may be in the same common area at the same time.

The woman, who flew in from the Philippines a week ago after three years, said all slots were allocated on a strict schedule.

Only 10 minutes had been allocated, with a maximum of two people sharing the smoking area at a time.

While there did not appear to be a limit to the number of people who could use the exercise yard, only 20 minutes had been allowed for people to burn energy.

She said it generally took at least five minutes to get to the exercise area on the ground floor of the hotel, which means this would cut down on the time allotted.

Despite the harsh new regulations, the woman who wanted to be named felt that the new measures were in the best interest of all who were there during her fortnight of quarantine.

“It’s very, very strict here. There is absolutely no contact with anyone else. Even when they’re testing us, you can’t touch anything. They scolded me when I touch the wall.”

He said there had been no communication from management on whether people who had completed their mandatory 14 days could still leave.

The government has imposed a series of restrictions on the facility after four people contracted the contagious South African variant in recent weeks during their stay.

Authorities continued to investigate the latest Covid-19 outbreak at the hotel and the facilities are now closed to new arrivals.

Once everyone currently in isolation is gone, he will undergo a hospital-grade “deep cleaning”.

In addition to this, Covid Response Minister Chris Hipkins announced yesterday that all returnees in all managed isolation facilities will now be required to remain in their rooms for the last two days of their quarantine time.

Attempts are being made to contact everyone who left the Pullman between January 9 and 13, and health officials tell them to get tested and isolate themselves.

Hipkins said that of the 353 guests who left the facility during that period, 303 tested negative for Covid-19.

Yesterday, 48 people remained pending, and Australian health officials claimed that at least 12 people who stayed at the hotel had traveled through Tasmania and beyond.

Prime Minister of the Pullman and MIQ

Yesterday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she wanted advice from health officials on additional measures for travelers after completing controlled isolation amid a new Covid-19 outbreak detected in an adult and a child.

Ardern said “something had happened,” causing the virus to spread among guests in the isolation facilities of the Pullman Hotel. As a result, no new returnees entered the Pullman while the situation was investigated.

When asked if new rules could be put in place to prevent returnees from leaving their rooms at MIQ facilities, Ardern said there are protocols for people who are getting fresh air.

“If they need to be more strict because of what we find in this, we will,” he said.

Officials were analyzing whether guests should stay in their rooms at the end of their stay while waiting for test results, as they do at the beginning of their stay.

“We have allowed people to breathe fresh air [because] they are in small confined spaces, we are aware of the fact that the vast majority of people do not have Covid in these facilities and only allow people to spend their two weeks, but in the safest way possible, that is the balancing act. ” he said Thursday.

Ardern said he trusted New Zealand’s systems and said Australia’s decision to suspend free quarantine travel was up to its officials.

When asked about more safeguards at MIQ facilities, Ardern said the new cases were still linked to the border.

New rules have come into effect since the new positive tests and would make a difference, he said.

“It is clear from the link to these cases that something had happened,” he said.

More research was being done to understand how the infection had occurred at the Pullman Hotel.

“We have had tens of thousands of people who have moved successfully, but we are looking for more guarantees,” Ardern said.

When asked how the infection happened, he said nothing was ruled out and that it could be a surface-to-surface transfer, an air transfer, or people just crossing each other.

“The people who work in managed isolation facilities are heroes,” the prime minister said when asked if the staff at those centers need to get back on their feet.

When asked if there was too much contact at the Pullman hotel among returnees, Ardern said officials were being rigorous in figuring out what had happened.

“They keep them in their rooms while we work on this problem,” he said.

No new returnees entered the Pullman Hotel while the situation was investigated.