New Zealand has two new cases of Covid-19, taking our total number of active cases to 12. Health chief Ashley Bloomfield has also confirmed there is a positive case in Rotorua following the city's Ibis Hotel being put into lockdown.
Some Kiwis quarantined in Rotorua hotels say news of an unofficial Covid-19 case there comes as little surprise given the way they were transported to the city.
However the Government says strict protocols were followed.
Today director general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield announced one new official case of Covid-19in an Auckland hotel and one case in a hotel in Rotorua. Rotorua's Ibis and Sudima Hotels are being used for managed isolation.
Earlier in the day guests at the Ibis Hotel in Rotorua were placed in lockdown and told not to leave their rooms.
They had all had their first Covid-19 test yesterday, the third day of government-managed isolation.
Bloomfield told the media he was confident the Rotorua facility where there was an unofficial case was being safely managed to prevent the spread of the virus.
"It doesn't raise any concerns with me about the way they were transported," he said because "very strict protocols were followed".
Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield. Photo / File
However, one man who was in lockdown in the Ibis said the case wasn't a surprise as the buses used to transport the travellers were "full to max capacity".
Rotorua's Ibis Hotel is being used as a quarantine facility and is currently in lcokdown. Photo / File
He claimed not all passengers were wearing masks and they were not socially distanced.
Another man, who had returned home to New Zealand from Europe, said it was only a matter of time before more cases were confirmed at the hotel because they had been "loaded like cattle into the bus".
One of the buses on the way to Rotorua from Auckland Airport after some people had already climbed off. Photo / Supplied
Another woman at the hotel said they still had not been given any information about the case and she felt strict protocols had not been followed.
"Being on that bus was the highest chance I've had in a long time of catching it [Covid-19]."
The Kiwis in quarantine at the Ibis Hotel were given the lockdown notice around 11.30am on Wednesday. Photo / Supplied
But another woman in quarantine, and now lockdown at the Ibis Hotel, was pleased, saying the case showed the "system is working and that the case has been identified and contained".
One of the buses on the way to Rotorua from Auckland Airport after some people had already climbed off. Photo / Supplied
"I do admit that it has made me reflect on what and who I have been in contact with since getting on the plane."
She did not feel however, that she had been placed at unnecessary risk.
"I knew the time from starting my trip home until I got to my hotel it would be a period of high risk, so I took all the necessary precautions: wearing a mask, constantly sanitising and keeping my distance as much as possible from others.
"There were certainly a lot of people who did not appear to take the same precautions, so maybe they are more concerned.
Rotorua MP Todd McClay. Photo / File
"There is no denying that our arrival and subsequent transportation to Rotorua left a lot to be desired but since we have been here, there have been clear processes in place to ensure everyone's safety."
Rotorua MP Todd McClay said locals would be "very concerned" about the unofficial case in the city and he was concerned for the staff working at the facility.
He said there was a "need for assurance from the Government that staff in the hotel, the security guards, the nurses and others are safe".
Other accommodation facilities and tourism operators in the city had contacted him this week saying bookings had been cancelled for the school holidays.
He said it was crucial there were assurances quarantine was being handled properly to give the country confidence in the city being safe to visit.
Rotorua Mayor Steve Chadwick. Photo / File
Rotorua mayor Steve Chadwick said although there was concern in the community, "there is no cause for alarm".
"We've always known there would be more cases in New Zealand once people started coming from overseas again."
She said she was assured again by the Defence Force and by Megan Woods, the minister in charge of managed isolation and quarantine facilities, that the managed isolation would be run with all the right protocols and processes in place.
"We need to trust that everything is in place and the right steps are being taken.
"And we need to be kind, to show some compassion and manaaki for our people returning home."
Waiariki MP Tāmati Coffey did not want to comment on the confirmed case.
However, when Kiwis were first brought to Rotorua for managed isolation his message to locals was to "calm down and take a breath".
"These are our people, they are New Zealanders and they are coming home.
"In Rotorua, we do manaakitanga well and so I'd really like us not to drop the ball on this one. These are our own people," he told the Rotorua Daily Post earlier in the week.
Waiariki MP Tāmati Coffey. Photo / File
Rotorua Chamber of Commerce chief executive Bryce Heard said it was no surprise a case had been registered.
"I think everyone expected that."
When asked how he thought the case would affect the local economy he said, "I don't think it will make it any worse".
A spokesman from the Government's Covid-19 National Response Team said a wide range of health and safety protocols were in place to ensure all individuals in managed isolation and quarantine remained safe.
"Each quarantine and managed isolation facility has an all of Government support team. Each team works alongside facility management to support the health, wellbeing, security, supplementary logistics and administration of the people staying in the facility.
"There are around 40 multi-agency staff on the ground in Rotorua supporting the managed isolation facilities and those staying in them."
The spokesman confirmed the Sudima Hotel was not in lockdown and there was only one case in Rotorua.
He said movement restrictions were in place at a Rotorua isolation facility after the potential case.
"There is a process in place for this situation, which is being followed in Rotorua at the Ibis Hotel."
He said when a potential or confirmed case was found the person was isolated and provided with appropriate PPE when they are moved to quarantine accommodation.
"All guests will be confined to their rooms in the interim while contact tracing is carried out.
"These restrictions will be lifted once there is no risk to those remaining in the managed isolation facility."
People returning to New Zealand without Covid-19 symptoms are placed in managed isolation. They are placed in quarantine if they have symptoms or become sick while in managed isolation.
