Covid 19 Omicron outbreak: Rotorua Sudima Hotel MIQ facility to offer isolation space for community cases

People in the Rotorua community with Covid-19 who can't isolate at home may be able to do so at the city's last MIQ hotel - for free.

Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment today said the Sudima Rotorua Managed Isolation Facility would be available to support community cases from Tuesday until the end of May.

Head of MIQ Operations Commodore Melissa Ross said, while MIQ was winding down, it still had a role to play.

"As announced by the Covid-19 Response Minister earlier this month, MIQ has begun to scale down its operations as international travel starts back up. By the end of June, 28 of the current 32 MIQ facilities across the country will leave the MIQ network and return to being hotels," Ross said.

"There were three MIQ facilities in Rotorua, the Rydges and Ibis will no longer be part of the MIQ network. They are among 20 facilities for whom the decommissioning process is underway.

"While this process is occurring, there is still a need for us to provide managed isolation and quarantine for community cases and special groups, and these will be provided by a smaller network of 12 facilities for the next few months. The Sudima Rotorua is one of these facilities."

Ross said Rotorua had done an excellent job over the past 21 months operating the MIQ facilities and collectively Te Arawa, Lakes DHB, Toi Te Ora & MIQ were fully committed to continuing to work together to support the community through the Omicron outbreak

"Iwi have been key partners in this. We have been working with representatives from Te Arawa for the duration of MIQ in Rotorua and it was their request that changes be made to MIQ in Rotorua so community cases can be supported.

"Previously, all facilities in Rotorua were only used for people who had just come into New Zealand across the border," she said.

The Medical Officer of Health at Toi Te Ora Public Health, Dr Neil de Wet, said having the ability for community cases to be supported at the Sudima Managed Isolation Facility was an important step in managing the current response to the Omicron variant.

"Our community needs as many different accommodation options as possible for people who get Covid-19.

"There are many reasons not everyone is able to safely isolate at home. Adding the Sudima Hotel to the options is extremely helpful," de Wet said.

Lakes DHB chief executive, Nick Saville-Wood said having space at the Sudima Managed Isolation Facility would help meet the increasing need of whānau in the rohe requiring alternative accommodation to safely isolate.

"It will also be beneficial for those who may have any underlying health issues to be supported by our clinical staff and be in close proximity to Rotorua Hospital," he said.

The Sudima facility will have around 95 rooms available for community support and will be staffed by Lakes DHB registered nurses, health care assistants, a welfare co-ordinator and clinical nurse managers along with MBIE MIQ security and management staff plus hotel staff.

People from the community can be referred to the Sudima Managed Isolation Facility via the Rotorua Covid Response Hub, which will triage cases based on need.

Community cases will not have to pay to stay in MIQ. Charges will still apply to people coming from overseas unless they are a refugee or a New Zealand citizen who left the country after August 2020.