Covid 19 coronavirus: Government to hire security teams for MIQ directly

The Government is working to replace the current security contractor force at all of New Zealand's 32 managed isolation and quarantine facilities, including those in Rotorua.

The move is supported by the MIQ workers' union and one of the nation's most prominent Covid-19 experts.

The new security workforce would be employed by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Business, a spokesman said.

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The ministry is currently in the process of appointing site security and operations managers at all MIQ locations who will be responsible for security and operations.

To date, the number of private security companies working within MIQ has shrunk from 18 to five, with plans to reduce to one within the first quarter of this year.

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"This is being undertaken in stages in order to minimise any risks to the security of our facilities," the MIQ spokesman told the Rotorua Daily Post.

New Zealand Defence Force and Aviation Security Service personnel will continue to supplement MBIE employed staff.

The enhancement of three hotels MIQs in Rotorua the work is expected to cost $616,459. Photo / Andrew Warner

Once the new security managers are in place, MIQ will transition from private security personnel to MBIE security staff.

The spokesman said this move would ensure there were consistency and standardisation of security protocols and policies across the network of facilities.

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While security isn't his expertise, epidemiologist Professor Michael Baker said "anything that improves consistency and quality" was a win.

"If employing a security force directly means we can get better training and support to deliver the MIQ system better, that has to be good news," he said.

"I never think of blaming individuals, problems are almost always about systems.

"It's not really my area, I can't say this will make any difference. It's really about deliverance and quality of delivery of the system."

E tū union organiser Mat Danaher said they also supported the move by MBIE.

It comes after the Herald revealed MBIE was pumping millions of dollars into strengthening the nation's MIQ facilities.

These efforts have been further ramped up after a number of close calls, which have seen the virus move from quarantine facilities into the community.

Enhancements include CCTV, alarms on doors and other initiatives not outlined by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, which is footing the bill.

The total costs for the project are yet to be finalised, however, for the three hotels in Rotorua the work is expected to cost $616,459.

Rotorua's Sudima Hotel, a managed isolation facility. Photo / Andrew Warner

Installation work had already been completed at the Rydges and Ibis, and was expected to be completed at the Sudima next month.

Head of managed isolation and quarantine Brigadier Jim Bliss said indications were the final spend of the project would be close to $6.45 million.

These upgrades became urgent following a string of recent cases who tested positive after completing managed isolation at the Pullman in Auckland.

An extensive investigation of the processes and facilities at the Pullman led to a number of recommendations to ensure those lapses did not occur in the future.

Last month, an employee at the Grand Millennium Hotel in Auckland was sacked after a bedroom encounter with a MIQ returnee.

The encounter took place for 20-minutes, with MIQ head Brigadier Jim Bliss describing the forbidden liaison as "incredibly irresponsible and extremely disappointing".

Both the hotel worker and the returnee returned negative Covid-19 tests before and after the encounter.