District health boards are looking at booking hotels for medical workers, some of whom are considering staying away from loved ones for weeks.
Other health workers will use the provided accommodation to be closer to hospitals, where they could be needed to fill unfamiliar intensive care roles.
Sarah Dalton, executive
director of the doctors and dentists' union, the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, said it was being kept up to date on the accommodation plans by Auckland and other DHBs.
"My sense is it is more likely to be staff residences or hotels ... they are looking at what they can do to support staff who either feel that they need to self-isolate from their families, or just that they need to be near the hospital, depending on how workload goes."
Frontline health workers caught and even died from Covid-19 amidst early overseas outbreaks, and there have been cases where the virus has then spread to their family members. However, the example of countries including Singapore show transmission can be avoided through strict observance of practices including hand hygiene.
