Queens Wharf is being used for people in isolation to go for a walk. Photo / Jason Oxenham
A public space on Auckland's waterfront is being used for people in isolation to get some fresh air and go for a walk.
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) says there is a dedicated area set aside at Queens Wharf for people being put up at four hotels which do not have space for exercise.
People from each hotel had "raceways" separated from each other and public areas on the wharf by double fencing, an MBIE spokesman said.
"This ensures that returnees are not mixing with members of the public or people from other managed isolation facilities. Physical distancing is maintained within each area at all times," he said.
People from the hotels were transported to and from the wharf by bus and accompanied at all times under the watch of security staff. They wear PPE at all times.
Security staff oversee the managed isolation walks, which had a limited number of people who could exercise for up to one hour a day, the spokesman said.
A spokeswoman for Regional Facilities Auckland - a commercial arm of Auckland Council - said the exercise occurred in a fenced-off area used by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries for quarantine purposes when cruise ships are berthed at the wharf.
She said the wharf had been used for the past four weeks and an agreement with MBIE was being reviewed every two weeks.
Queens Wharf is a public space at the bottom on Queen St. It is alongside the busy ferry terminal and has two large buildings on it - the Cloud events centre and Shed 10, which is used for events and as a cruise ship terminal.
The two buildings have no events scheduled. When events were scheduled before the level 3 lockdown, the daily walks at Queens Wharf were stopped as a precautionary measure, the Regional Facilities spokeswoman said.
A spokesman for Mayor Phil Goff said he was comfortable with the arrangement based on the advice his office has received that the exercise takes place in a fully self-contained fenced area overseen by security staff, that returnees at no time come into contact with members of the public, and that returnees are required to wear PPE at all times.
In April, the Herald reported about 30 people staying at Auckland's inner-city Rydges Hotel were going for exercise under the watch of security officers at Victoria Park while the country was in level 4 lockdown.
At the time, director general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said that people who arrived without symptoms but were in assisted self-isolation would not be quarantined to their rooms.
They were able to go for walks outside and get fresh air.
A Managed Isolation and Quarantine spokesperson told the Herald there were four separate sections in the exercise area on the wharf, with raceways that are separated by double fencing from the public areas of Queens Wharf and from each other.
"This ensures that returnees are not mixing with members of the public or with returnees from other managed isolation facilities. Physical distancing is maintained within each area at all times," the spokesperson said.
"Returnees book a place on a dedicated bus to travel to the waterfront and are accompanied at all times by security staff. Security then oversee the managed isolation walks from start to finish, until the returnees are returned back to the facility."
Only a limited number of people were allowed in the areas at one time. And exercise time was limited to one hour a day.
"Returnees are required to wear PPE and maintain social distancing at all times."
The area had been in place since March for returnees staying at Sheraton Four Points, Rydges Hotel Auckland, SO Hotel, and Grand Mercure.
The new free open-air saltwater pool is already proving popular.