Covid 19 coronavirus: Pullman Auckland MIQ hotel evacuated briefly

Central Auckland's Pullman Hotel, where returnees in isolation were evacuated from briefly today. Photo / File

A central Auckland hotel housing returnees from overseas in Covid-19 isolation was evacuated briefly on Friday.

Shortly before noon, a fire alarm went off at the Pullman Auckland managed isolation facility.

Fire and Emergency NZ responded, and have logged the incident as a false alarm.

A Managed Isolation and Quarantine spokesman said MIQ staff and hotel security worked with police to ensure returnees were safely evacuated.

Returnees safely returned to their rooms at around 12.15pm, he added.

All MIQ facilities operated in an alert level 4 environment.

MIQ said when guests had to be evacuated outside, strict infection prevention controls were followed to manage the risks of spreading Covid-19.

These protocols included use of personal protective equipment, masks and physical distancing rules.

"Throughout the situation, NZDF staff assisted hotel security and other MIQ staff in assembling all returnees in the allocated areas," the spokesman added.

It's not immediately clear how many returnees are in the hotel.

The hotel slowly emptied out in early February and was decommissioned temporarily as authorities tried learning how a guest was infected with a mutant strain.

Rules for the Pullman changed after a guest with a new overseas strain left in mid-January and visited more than 20 Northland locations not knowing she had the virus.

Currently, there are no available places in the MIQ system available until at least May 31.

June dates have not yet been released. MIQ's website said those dates will be released next week.