Covid 19 Delta outbreak: Editorial - MIQ overhaul long overdue

Calls are getting louder for MIQ to be moved outside of Auckland. Photo / Sylvie Whinray

Editorial

EDITORIAL:

After months of bad press over the MIQ booking system the Government has decided that a more "transparent" virtual lobby system should be installed.

It won't be much immediate help to those New Zealanders trying to get back into the country given the current pause on new spaces and the general undersupply of rooms in any case.

There are also doubts about whether random selection is the best and fairest method as someone waiting for days has the same chance as someone who has been waiting for months.

National yesterday launched a five-point plan to fix MIQs, including a prioritisation system based on points, similar to the way in which skilled migrants are assessed for eligibility for New Zealand.

But let's not get into semantics here. The much bigger question is MIQ itself, what the long-term plan is and whether the bulk of the quarantine facilities should still be in Auckland, the country's largest city.

It's not a new question. There have been calls for MIQ to be moved outside of Auckland since this time last year.

It has become top of mind again as Auckland bears the brunt of the current Delta outbreak, which is thought to have leaked from the Crowne Plaza.

While it made sense originally to turn empty hotels into managed isolation facilities, the concept of housing infected returnees in the middle of the most populated city and largest economic centre is inherently flawed.

It's been clear for some time that Auckland hotels are not fit for purpose with known problems with ventilation and shared spaces. It's also been clear for some time that the virus is not "going" anywhere any time soon. And if even if we do "eliminate" Delta, it will likely be back again in one form or another.

The Government has already spent millions of dollars retrofitting the hotels and has repeatedly said the system works. More than 160,000 people have gone through, including more than 1000 positive cases.

But its time to ramp up the conversation about the longer-term options, including whether purpose-built facilities should be on the drawing board.

Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins has said MIQ facilities will be needed longer than originally planned but has avoided specifically talking about plans for after the vaccine roll-out.

While not laying down a hard and fast pathway post-vaccination, the Government has ruled out following the UK, for example, by ending Covid-19 restrictions despite surging case numbers.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins need to lay down a long term plan for MIQ. Photo / Mark Mitchell

In July the Government said it was considering an option of building its own facilities instead of relying on hotels, although Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern did acknowledge some Cabinet papers advised against permanent facilities.

Australia has invested in purpose-built facilities but it doesn't seem politically trendy to follow our neighbour's Covid policy in recent times.

But the Government needs to give the issue more urgent consideration, especially as Aucklanders battle through week three of level 4 restrictions in what is their fourth citywide lockdown since Covid struck.

There are issues to solve around location and staffing of any new centres and in meeting the establishment costs.

But as we have already seen, the economic cost of Auckland and nationwide lockdowns is far greater. A more sustainable plan is long overdue.