Rydges Rotorua managed isolation facility put in lockdown

Rydges Rotorua is the third hotel in the city to be used for managed isolation. Photo / File

Rydges Rotorua was put in lockdown as a suspected case of Covid-19 was moved to a quarantined facility.

A managed isolation and quarantine spokesperson confirmed "restrictions were placed on movement at the managed isolation facility at Rydges Rotorua yesterday", following a potential case of Covid-19.

He said standard procedures were followed after the detection.

"In such cases, when regional isolation and quarantine teams are notified by health staff of a potential or confirmed case, the person is isolated to their room, and all relevant staff are informed."

The person was provided with appropriate PPE when they were moved from managed isolation to quarantine accommodation by trained staff, he said.

"All returnees were confined to their rooms while transfer out of the facility was undertaken and a deep clean of communal areas was carried out."

Last Monday, the Rydges Hotel officially began operating as the third managed isolation facility in Rotorua.

The Sudima and Ibis hotels have been managed isolation sites since late last month.

The 134-room Fenton St hotel was blessed by Te Arawa last Monday and prepared for the first guests who arrived last Thursday.

The Government worked with iwi, council and the hotel to co-ordinate the opening of the facility, the Covid-19 media team previously said.

Cases

There were two new Covid-19 cases in New Zealand announced yesterday with no recovered case. There were now 23 active cases in the country.

The confirmed cases were a man in his 50s who arrived in New Zealand on July 14 from Afghanistan via Dubai. The positive test was from day 12 testing. He has been transferred to an Auckland quarantine facility.

The other was a man aged in his 40s who arrived in New Zealand on July 27 from the Philippines, via Hong Kong. He was taken straight to an Auckland quarantine facility as he was symptomatic on arrival. The positive test was from a test on arrival.

New Zealand has now gone 89 days since the last evidence of community transmission.