Correct hand washing technique requires water, soap and thorough drying. Photo / File
Correct hand washing technique requires water, soap and thorough drying. Photo / File
Forget BYO booze - get used to BYO soap in some parts of Rotorua.
On Thursday, Rotorua Lakes Council confirmed not all public toilets in the district had adequate facilities for hand-washing.
Operations manager Jocelyn Mikaere said the level of facilities in public toilets matched the level of use.
"This means places like the CBD and inner-city reserves all have sinks, soap dispensers and hand-driers whereas some smaller suburban reserves or rural public toilets may have only one or two of those things."
Mikaere said the council understood this was a "stressful time for our community".
"We want to assure everyone that [the] council, as an organisation, is committed to doing what it can to help reduce the spread of Covid-19."
She encouraged people to follow the Ministry of Health advice, available on the covid19.govt.nz website, and "take any precautions they feel necessary to protect their personal health".
Rural community board chairwoman Shirley Trumper. Photo / File
The Ministry of Health's guidelines on that website said the best hand-washing technique required water and soap, scrubbing all surfaces of the hands and thoroughly drying hands with a clean cloth, single-use towel or blow-drier.
Cleaner and Ngongotahā resident Zenn Reid said the one public toilet in Ngongotahā, across the road from the Four Square, was frequented by tourists and locals alike, and a school was nearby.
That toilet had "just hand foam and an air drier" and Reid believed it would be worthwhile for the council to provide hand sanitiser as well.
Rotorua Rural Community Board chairwoman Shirley Trumper said there were many rural public toilet facilities that had no handwashing facilities due to limitations on water, storage and power supply.
In Rotorua, there was only one facility with "significant use", which was in Reporoa. That had the "same provisions as the busy urban toilets" and was cleaned twice a day, minimum.
Infracore cleaned and managed the other facilities, and four portaloos at Lake Okaro and Guy Roe Reserve had water and soap, she said.
Rotorua Lakes Community Board chairman Phill Thomass. Photo / File
"All other rural facilities have cold water only to wash hands and serviced three times a week in the busy months and that is a practical solution due to location and serviceability and common practice for many years."
Rotorua Lakes Community Board chairman Phill Thomass said facilities varied across the lakes area but he believed the council would be able to assess whether more handwashing or sanitising facilities were needed and would act on that if necessary.
