[ad_1]
Joseph Johnson / Stuff
MIQ facility staff will now need to wear N95 masks in situations where they cannot maintain a two meter distance from confirmed or probable Covid-19 cases. (File photo)
Staff working in controlled isolation and quarantine facilities will now be required to wear N95 masks when entering guest rooms and in other situations where they cannot maintain a two meter distance.
On Thursday, the Health Ministry updated the guidance on wearing N95 / P2 masks following a review of concerns that border workers could contract Covid-19 through transmission of the virus through the air.
N95 masks are now recommended when a distance of two meters from a confirmed or probable case cannot be maintained, such as when entering a confined space.
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).
Chief Health Officer Dr. Ashley Bloomfield said that protecting frontline MIQ workers is a “top priority” in the ongoing effort to eliminate Covid-19.
READ MORE:
* MIQ man ‘shocked’ to see staff only wear surgical masks
* Covid-19: After MIQ Breaches, Experts Want ‘Swiss Cheese’ Fit
* The nurses union calls for the isolation administered after the second community case of Covid-19 to be reconsidered
Bloomfield said that the use of PPE will depend on the situation and masks will not always be required.
The new guidance applies to healthcare personnel when providing direct practical care and when conducting or assisting with daily health checks of people who were confirmed or probable cases.
It can also apply to personnel in other roles, including Defense Forces personnel, if they must perform tasks that involve being within two meters of a person, such as escorting them for exercise.
Masks will also need to be worn when transferring a confirmed or probable case from one facility to another, or from one facility to a hospital.
Rick Bowmer / AP
The New Zealand Nurses Organization has previously raised concerns for the safety of its members working in controlled isolation and quarantine facilities. (File photo)
Personnel requiring an N95 / P2 mask should also be trained in donning them, including a check for proper fit.
They cannot be used with beards, as facial hair limits protection, preventing a good seal against the face.
It comes after the New Zealand Nurses Organization expressed concern for the health and well-being of nurses at MIQ facilities, “strongly encouraging and supporting” staff to refuse to work if they felt unsafe.
Earlier this month, NZNO industrial services manager Glenda Alexander said it was “alarming” that nurses working at MIQ facilities “still do not have consistent access” to N95 masks or the fit tests that effective in preventing airborne transmission of the virus.
Two nurses and a defense force staff member recently contracted Covid-19 from their work at the MIQ facility. The union said they did not have access to the N95 masks, a “clear violation” of the Health and Safety at Work Act.
Bloomfield said the provision of appropriate PPE “has always been an important part of protecting the health of our frontline workers.”
“We are always improving our approach to this, to reflect what we learn from experience and the growing global understanding of how the virus operates,” he said.
Bloomfield said fit testing and training for staff at the facility is “underway” and expected to be completed early next month.
