The Country
  • The Country home
  • Latest news
  • Audio & podcasts
  • Opinion
  • Dairy farming
  • Sheep & beef farming
  • Rural business
  • Rural technology
  • Rural life
  • Listen on iHeart radio

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • Coast & Country News
  • Opinion
  • Dairy farming
  • Sheep & beef farming
  • Horticulture
  • Animal health
  • Rural business
  • Rural technology
  • Rural life

Media

  • Podcasts
  • Video

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whāngarei
  • Dargaville
  • Auckland
  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Hamilton
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Te Kuiti
  • Taumurunui
  • Taupō
  • Gisborne
  • New Plymouth
  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Whanganui
  • Palmerston North
  • Levin
  • Paraparaumu
  • Masterton
  • Wellington
  • Motueka
  • Nelson
  • Blenheim
  • Westport
  • Reefton
  • Kaikōura
  • Greymouth
  • Hokitika
  • Christchurch
  • Ashburton
  • Timaru
  • Wānaka
  • Oamaru
  • Queenstown
  • Dunedin
  • Gore
  • Invercargill

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / The Country

Covid-19 coronavirus: Fishermen double-bunking key factor in Christchurch health worker cases

Devon Bolger
By Devon Bolger
Digital producer, Christchurch, NZ Herald·NZ Herald·
22 Jan, 2021 12:33 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

The Sudima Hotel at Christchurch Airport. Photo / NZH

The Sudima Hotel at Christchurch Airport. Photo / NZH

The double-bunking of international mariners and poor ventilation led to two health workers contracting Covid-19 in Christchurch.

A publically released report, written by Canterbury District Health Board clinicians, documented their experience managing the first group of 235 Russian and Ukrainian mariners in October/November last year.

During the mariners' extended quarantine period at the Sudima Christchurch Airport Hotel, two health staff contracted Covid-19, despite no evidence of breaches in infection prevention and control protocols or their usage of PPE.

The report found the most significant risk factor was 'double-bunking', with the first group of international mariners sleeping two people to one room.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Day 3 testing showed 18 of the guests had been incubating acute infections on arrival," it said.

A total of 32 mariners from the first group tested positive for Covid-19.

One of the report's co-authors, microbiologist and clinical director of Infection Prevention and Control (IPC), Dr Josh Freeman, said many of the mariners were at the height of virus shedding at the same time.

Prior to testing positive, large numbers were moving back and forth through corridors to go outside to the smoking area.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Military personnel enter the Sudima Hotel in Christchurch. Photo / NZH
Military personnel enter the Sudima Hotel in Christchurch. Photo / NZH

"In a hotel environment with poor ventilation in corridors, these factors all added up to being conducive to the inhalation of Covid-19 aerosols (extremely small microdroplets)."

Medical Officer of Health, Dr Anna Stevenson, another co-author, said as a result of the experience, the CDHB worked closely with MIQ staff to introduce changes to the
way the second group were managed.

They arrived in Christchurch early in January this year.

"Many changes were introduced immediately and we're happy to report that the stay of the second group of mariners, has been conducted with no issues arising.

"They each had their own room. We identified those who smoked and ensured they had rooms with balconies and opening windows to ensure fresh air-flow, and to eliminate the need for these guests to have to move through the corridors to a smoking area outside.

Stevenson said during the past fortnight, one of the MIQ health staff has helped 20 of the mariners give up smoking during their stay in managed isolation, using nicotine replacement therapy.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from The Country

The Country

Beekeeper advocacy group comes under pressure

The Country

The Country: Luxon on coalition friction

The Country

Man lost wife and daughter in Waiuku triple-fatal


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from The Country

Beekeeper advocacy group comes under pressure
The Country

Beekeeper advocacy group comes under pressure

Rifts among industry groups, charities and agencies in the beekeeping industry.

16 Jul 03:00 AM
The Country: Luxon on coalition friction
The Country

The Country: Luxon on coalition friction

16 Jul 01:42 AM
Man lost wife and daughter in Waiuku triple-fatal
The Country

Man lost wife and daughter in Waiuku triple-fatal

16 Jul 12:37 AM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP