Northland Covid-19 cases were managed in local hotels and motels during first outbreak

Some Northlanders who tested positive for Covid-19 were housed in hotels and motels around the region during the first outbreak. Photo / Tania Whyte

Some Covid-19 positive Northlanders were housed in hotels and motels during the virus' first outbreak earlier this year.

In a Northland District Health Board meeting last week, Northland medical officer of health Dr Catherine Jackson confirmed some of Northland's 28 positive Covid-19 cases were given accommodation in hotels and motels, mostly in Whangārei.

"We 100 per cent managed people outside their houses who were infectious in Northland with our first outbreak," she said.

"Not everyone can isolate at home, it's not always appropriate and some of them didn't want to go home and expose their families, so we made arrangements to have those people in isolation, mostly in Whangārei, in hotels and motels and places like that."

Northland medical officer of health Dr Catherine Jackson. Photo / Supplied

Jackson's comments were in response to a question from DHB board deputy chairwoman Ngaire Rae, who asked where positive cases would go if any were found in Northland during the current resurgence.

Jackson said this method of housing positive Covid-19 cases had been preferred to setting up a formal managed isolation and quarantine facility, given the necessary security requirements.

"The challenge when it becomes a known facility is the requirements around security go up because then everybody knows.

"We had people isolated in hotels, obviously the hotel knew... but we established with them and we put in all the controls around that, but it becomes a different level of interest and public interest once it becomes a known place."

Jackson said Northland did not have a facility which met the necessary standards to be a managed isolation and quarantine facility, which concerned size and proximity to a hospital.

While she was awaiting guidance from central Government on what managed isolation would look like in Northland going forward, Jackson said the current plan for any future positive cases would be to isolate them in Northland and put "sufficient measures" around them for the Ministry of Health to feel confident the people were isolated.

Two weeks ago, a Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment spokesperson said there were no plans to establish managed isolation facilities in Northland currently.

In a statement following the meeting, Jackson confirmed "a small number of Covid-19 cases in Northland were provided with accommodation where they spent some or all of their isolation period".

"Protocols were in place to ensure that these cases did not pose a risk to other people, as they are for managed isolation and quarantine facilities."

Jackson would not confirm what Northland facilities were used and when, how many people were given accommodation, how much it had cost the DHB, what safety measures were used and whether non-infectious people were in the facilities at the same time.

Meanwhile, Northland's collective of iwi chairpersons - Te Kahu o Taonui - is calling for a managed isolation and quarantine facility to be established in Te Tai Tokerau.

Te Kahu o Taonui iwi member Haami Piripi, of Te Rarawa, said a Northland facility was necessary so any positive Covid-19 cases from the region could stay connected to their whānau.

"The ultimate demonstration of manaakitanga is being able to take care of our people, especially when our whānau are unwell," he said,

"Having the choice and the resourcing to be able to do this within our homelands is critical for our people of Tai Tokerau and will need special attention both by iwi and the Government."

As of Friday, 6875 tests had been conducted in Northland since August 10. Of those tested, 40 per cent identified as Māori.