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Ashley Bloomfield defends PPE use at MIQ after latest community case

Author
Newstalk ZB,
Publish Date
Mon, 9 Nov 2020, 6:24pm
Ashley Bloomfield. (Photo / NZ Herald)
Ashley Bloomfield. (Photo / NZ Herald)

Ashley Bloomfield defends PPE use at MIQ after latest community case

Author
Newstalk ZB,
Publish Date
Mon, 9 Nov 2020, 6:24pm

Personal protections are under scrutiny again at managed isolation and quarantine facilities.

New Zealand's latest community cases include a Defence Force serviceperson working at Auckland's Jet Park quarantine facility, who tested positive on Friday.

The virus has now sneaked out of a facility at least seven times in the past three months.

Dr Ashley Bloomfield told Heather du Plessis-Allan everyone in the facilities uses PPE correctly.

"We are going to obviously review all those situations, because everyone is using the PPE, because that's the point, it's there as another layer of protection alongside with the testing."

Meanwhile, overseas Kiwis have been offered a new chance to come home for Christmas.

Bed spaces in MIQ facilities had dried up after a holiday surge in demand, but MBIE has now announced it's made another 100 rooms a day available between December 13 and 23.

Head of MIQ, Air Commodore Darryn Webb, says the vouchers will be released daily from now, and are available on a first-in, first served basis.

He says people who don’t have a voucher will not be allowed to board a plane to New Zealand.

Bloomfield says MBIE is offering as many rooms as it can.

"We also have to make sure we're protecting workers and protecting New Zealanders, so the number of beds we have at the moment and the staffing of that is a significant effort, and we think that is as much as we can deliver safely at the moment."

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