Coronavirus Covid-19: Viaduct restaurant staff hunt down pilot refusing to self-isolate

Headquarters staff tracked the pilot to a nearby restaurant.

A pilot who refused to self-isolate was tracked down by staff from an Auckland waterfront restaurant to a nearby bar.

The pilot and his crew allegedly arrived in the country from a global coronavirus hotspot but were not interested in following self-isolation rules.

The pilot flew into New Zealand on Saturday and refused to co-operate with HeadQuarters staff when trying to enter, before fleeing the establishment.

Staff from HeadQuarters, owned by Leo Molloy, were sent out to track down him down - he was found 20 minutes later in a Princes Wharf restaurant.

"When [name amended] was cornered by a 135kg Tongan he suddenly became very co-operative and told us the full story", Molloy said on social media.

The man told the restaurant he and his crew did not care to follow the rules and they were leaving Auckland on Tuesday, "so who cares".

The proper authorities, including police, had been contacted by HQ about the incident, the social media post also said.

The Ministry of Health yesterday said there had been 66 confirmed cases of the potentially deadly virus in New Zealand.

Fourteen new cases were announced, along with four probable cases. Globally, the number of cases had surged past 311,000 and 13,500 deaths.

Air and maritime crew continue to be exempt from the travel restrictions, including from the requirement to self-isolate for 14 days on arrival.

However, crew who stay overnight in a destination with local transmission of Covid-19 were told to follow guidelines by the Ministry of Health.

• Wear a surgical/medical face mask if using public transport during the transfer from airport to hotel. Gloves are not needed. If dedicated crew transport is provided, a mask is not required;

• Practise hand hygiene frequently;

• Remain in the hotel room if this is feasible, including using room service;

• Avoid sightseeing, shopping and any unnecessary trips to public places;

• Cover coughs and sneezes;

• Maintain at least 2 metres distance from people who are unwell.

Elsewhere, Molloy told the Herald on Friday he had been turning away people aged over 70 as they were deemed to be at critical risk of the virus.

Molloy and his staff had started taking "bold initiatives" including checking people's passports on entry - "One man was 89 and was not happy about it."

They were also turning away dozens of tourists who had been in the country for less than a week and refused to self-isolate.

The Government last Sunday announced all international travellers arriving into New Zealand were required by law to self-isolate for 14 days.

On Friday, HeadQuarters had turned away 17 tourists, Molloy said, who added he had started sending photographs of the passports to the Ministry of Health.

Elsewhere, frontline health workers in New Zealand were urging the Government to move to alert level 4 amid the virus outbreak.

Currently sitting on level 2, it meant Covid-19 was contained but the risk of community transmission was growing and human contact had to be reduced.

However, many were petitioning to activate Covid-19 alert level 4 immediately.

The petition's author, Dr Kelvin Ward, said raising the alert to the highest possible level was the only way for New Zealand to ensure it survives the virus with minimal impact.

The petition called for:

• Quarantine, not self-isolation, of all Covid-19 positive patients

• Extensive testing and contact tracing

• Self-isolation of all asymptomatic contacts

• Mandatory social lockdown

"If we want to prevent this epidemic becoming exponential, we have to take some drastic measures," Ward said.

Ward first created the petition on Change.org but it amassed more than 40,000 signatures from the public in less than 24 hours.

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