MIQ Stay Now Halved

Yesterday, the length of time international arrivals to New Zealand must spend in managed isolation halved from 14 days to 7, followed by self-isolation until a negative ‘day 9’ test is received.

Shortened stays in managed isolation are part of the Government’s broader plan to re-open New Zealand safely and reconnect with the world. This change was first announced by Minister Hipkins on 28 October.

Joint Head of MIQ, Brigadier Rose King said this was a significant milestone.

“MIQ has served New Zealand well, helping to bring over 190,000 people home. Since the very beginnings of MIQ, change has been a constant. This is the next stage of evolution for us.

“Yesterday was a really big day for the staff in our facilities, it was among the biggest changes we have put into place since MIQ began. Approximately 2,500 people between day 7 and day 14 of their MIQ stay were eligible to leave – about 8 times more than we would normally see depart each day.

We did a lot of planning to make sure it went as smoothly as possible. MIQ staff from across a range of agencies have been working exceptionally hard to operationalise these changes while continuing to provide the high level of care and manākitanga they have always shown for people in our facilities.

As we move to a shorter stay cycle, this means a higher turnover of returnees and therefore a corresponding increase in the need for health checks and tests, together with logistics and operational practices such as cleaning rooms and organising onward travel.

I want to thank all those returnees who departed yesterday for their patience and cooperation. I also want to thank MIQ staff for their extraordinary effort. I’m immensely proud of the crucial role they play in protecting our communities from the further spread of COVID-19.

“When people leave MIQ to begin their self-isolation, they are instructed to travel directly to their home or accommodation using the fastest and most direct route, not stopping on the way. Private transportation is strongly recommended but public transport is permitted, as is travel to another region. If MIQ has transported people to another city for managed isolation, they will be transported back to their city of arrival.

“As with all New Zealanders, people leaving MIQ are required to abide by the rules around mask use, physical distancing and scanning”, Brigadier King said.

The requirements that people must adhere to once they reach their place of self-isolation have been set by the Ministry of Health. They are required to abide by these requirements until they receive a negative day 9 PCR test, at which point they are safe to re-enter the community.

Ministry of Health Director of Public Health, Dr Caroline McElnay, says the public health risk of the shortened MIQ stay is low.

“With most people returning now reporting being fully vaccinated, the risk profile of international arrivals has changed. They’re now considered at low risk of spreading COVID-19 and positive cases are mostly picked up within 7 days of arriving in MIQ.

“Also, international evidence increasingly suggests that increased frequency of testing helps manage the public health risks associated with the shorter stay.

“As well as having a pre-departure test, international arrivals will be tested in MIQ on day 0/1, day 3, and day 5/6. They will also get a PCR test on day 9 of their self-isolation and must stay in self-isolation until a negative result comes back. This is compulsory and will be tracked through an automated system,” Dr McElnay said.

While in self-isolation people cannot go out for any reason, other than to get their day 9 test, must maintain physical distancing from any other householders, can have no visitors, must have any deliveries done contactless and must obey a range of other requirements. They will be given detailed guidance, which is also available on the Ministry of Health website.

Notes

Guidance on self-isolation can be found on the Ministry of Health website.

Departure numbers

· Number of people eligible for release on Sunday: 2,533

· Auckland: 1649 people departed on Sunday – 76 departing on Monday

· Hamilton: 69 people departed on Sunday – nil departing on Monday

· Rotorua: 186 people departed on Sunday – 9 departing on Monday

· Wellington: nil

· Christchurch: 530 people departed on Sunday – 14 departing on Monday

· Total number of people released on Sunday: 2,434

· Number of people approved to stay another night in MIQ: 99

Fees

MIQ fees have been amended for a 7-day stay. The new fees are calculated based on the pro-rata rate of current fees and have been rounded up or down to get a round figure. The new fees are set out on the MIQ website.

MIQ capacity

The change to a 7-day stay will allow us to make more rooms available for international arrivals, though not substantially initially. We are hoping we can at least reinstate the level of rooms we had available for international returnees prior to the community outbreak in mid-August. We are currently underway with rescheduling all our facilities to an 11/12 day-cycle, reduced from 18-20 days, and will be able to announce shortly how many more rooms we will have available for returnees due to the shortened stay.

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