Covid-19 coronavirus: Melbourne-based Kiwi isolated three times due to outbreak

By RNZ

Tom Crampton, a Kiwi who lives in Melbourne, has had the dubious pleasure of being required to isolate in both New Zealand and Australia due to Covid-19.

He had been in New Zealand for a pre-planned holiday as the spread of pandemic began to ramp up around the world, and upon return to the Australian state of Victoria, was on the first plane of people that had to self-isolate, he told Morning Report.

"I got to my eighth day in isolation and that's when it really started to turn up around the world and get a bit hectic and I decided to pull the pin with my work and go on unpaid work and return to New Zealand and work on my family farm while the world was going crazy.

"That meant I had to do two weeks' self isolation in New Zealand at my home. I got in the day before lockdown level 4 started and did that and spent two-and-a-half months at home working and I've just decided to return back to Melbourne to my proper job and now I'm isolating for a third time in hotel isolation this time.

"It's been a long road but it is what it is."

Crampton said the Australian hotel rules were very strict.

He had a bubble with his girlfriend and another friend, with two bedrooms and a conjoining room.

Victoria is rapidly rolling out a COVID testing blitz in an attempt to control a spike in cases as the state edges close to a second wave. Police have been instructed to impose tougher enforcement of restrictions for those caught breaching rules. https://t.co/tQaJp21ccR #7NEWS pic.twitter.com/Os39wTiHvv

— 7NEWS Melbourne (@7NewsMelbourne) June 22, 2020

"I can't really compare it to my time in New Zealand doing isolation because I was just in my family home, but here at the hotel it is very strict. We're not allowed to leave for any reason at all and everything is just brought to our door and dropped off and the whole process getting to the hotel from the airport was socially distanced and everyone was very strict about that."

He said they had been tested on day three and would be tested again on day 11.

"You've got no choice on that."

It was possible to order food to be delivered to rooms and calls were made each day to check on their welfare, he said.

NSW premier says people should rethink travel to Melbourne amid Covid-19 spike https://t.co/p0TFhyLzlZ

— The Guardian (@guardian) June 22, 2020

No exercise was available, aside from one 15-minute walk every seven days.

Nothing was charged to them, he said. "You could do this whole process without spending a cent if you wanted to," he said.

A new outbreak of the novel coronavirus in Victoria has delayed other states reopening their borders.

The state has brought back tougher lockdown restrictions after recording more than 100 coronavirus cases in a week - many of which were locally acquired.