Israel Adesanya interviewed with coach Eugene Bareman after defeating Paulo Costa in September last year. Photo / Getty
Israel Adesanya interviewed with coach Eugene Bareman after defeating Paulo Costa in September last year. Photo / Getty
A call for bespoke managed isolation and quarantine facilities has been acknowledged by the Government, however there are constraints preventing that from being a realistic possibility.
A host of the country's leading athletes have recently addressed the struggle of securing a voucher for an MIQ facility and howit is impacting their ability to commit to competing overseas.
Olympic bronze medallist Dylan Schmidt suggested an athlete-specific MIQ facility should be considered to allow those who rely on competing overseas to make a living.
Meanwhile, City Kickboxing's Eugene Bareman, who coaches UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, also backed the idea of a facility for professionals whose work takes them abroad. Plans for a potential title defence for Adesanya in New York was reportedly scrapped due to the Kiwi champ not being able to secure an MIQ spot to return to New Zealand.
However, Covid-19 response minister Chris Hipkins said there are obstacles preventing that from being a realistic option.
"Bespoke facilities were considered last year but ultimately declined due to workforce constraints – including the health and security workforces," Hipkins said.
"The number of available rooms is finite and demand is outstripping supply. This is in spite of New Zealand having three times the number of MIQ rooms available per capita than Australia.
"Under these constraints, the Government is working hard to maintain a balance of keeping New Zealanders as safe as possible, and being as fair as we can in giving ordinary Kiwis and business, sports and other people the opportunity to secure a room in an MIQ."
Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins and the director general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield, arriving for a press conference at Parliament. Photo / Mark Mitchell
The Government has looked into the possibility of custom-built MIQ facilities rather than establishing MIQ at already existing locations as a way to allow for more people to come into the country.
However, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) outlined their reluctance to build such facilities in a statement to Radio New Zealand in June.
"MBIE has determined that the time required to plan, fund and construct a purpose-built MIQ facility means that this is an unfeasible option."
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the Government was looking at making changes to the MIQ booking system, including notifying people when spots were being released, with an estimated 4000 people going through MIQ every fortnight.
While people could not use a bot (automated software) to book an MIQ spot, people were still using third parties to secure vouchers for them, and Ardern said the Government was looking at whether or not they could reduce some of that automated engagement.
The Government are also looking to initiate trials at the end of the year that could see shorter MIQ stays for some.
"We will continue to adapt our MIQ facilities - we're looking at trials at the end of the year and into next year that could see shorter MIQ stays for fully vaccinated returnees, which could mean greater overall availability of rooms," Hipkins said.
