Focus on Pullman and risk mitigation

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Opinion

With three community cases of the more infectious South African strain of the coronavirus now linked to a case identified at the Pullman Hotel managed isolation facility, the Government is once again under pressure to implement additional Covid-19 risk-mitigation measures.

The Auckland adult and child who left the Pullman two days after the Northland woman who tested postive at the weekend — and were on a different floor to her and the earlier case identified during their stay — had positive tests confirmed last night. While not a perfect match it is the same strain and further testing today is expected to confim the link.

These new cases were picked up in follow-up testing of all recent “guests” at the Pullman (about 50 people are still being tracked down for tests). Like the Northland case it is reassuring that they do not appear to have been highly-infectious; they were asymptomatic and a third family member they have been with for 10 days has tested negative.

A total of six close contacts have been identified and testing is now ramping up on the North Shore, where the pair visited 12 sites in recent days.

Covid Response Minister Chris Hipkins says alert-level changes won't be considered until there is proof of community transmission.

A question mark hangs over events this Auckland Anniversary Day long weekend, though, with decisions to be made in the next two days based on Ministry of Health advice; the Sounds Like Summer music festival in Omaha has been postponed from Sunday.

Public health expert Michael Baker has reiterated that huge attention to detail is needed at all managed isolation facilities, to minimise risk. He has called again for New Zealand to consider reducing the flow of returnees from high-risk countries; to require returnees to isolate at home or check into an airport hotel before boarding their flight; and to require a week of self-isolation at home after managed isolation, with a follow-up test. He has also called for more rapid-testing.

So far health officials are said to be looking at restricting movement towards the end of managed isolation stays for all returnees.

No one can leave or start isolation stays at the Pulman, as investigations continue into what led to these cross-infections. Last night people were ordered to stay in their rooms until at least 1pm today, and Hipkins said this morning that no one would leave the hotel “until we're absolutely certain we've contained whatever the risk is”.