Experts call for "inconsistent and arbitrary" MIQ to be dismantled
When a confirmed COVID positive case is allowed to isolate at home, why are kiwis wanting to come home for Christmas, who are double vaccinated and tested negative banished to the unforgiving and heartless world of MIQ, often termed as the lottery of misery.
Migarnts families are bearing the brunt of this system, and finally they have got some support from a group of public health experts.
This group has proposed to dismantle managed isolation (MIQ) for vaccinated Kiwis heading into Auckland.
They believe people flying into the city from overseas should be allowed to skip MIQ if they're vaccinated - freeing up more space in the hotels for some of the 2000 Aucklanders who've caught the virus and remain at home.
The study was carried out by Otago University academics Lucy Telfar Barnard, Jennifer Summers, Lesley Gray, Michael Baker and Nick Wilson, and published on Monday.
It looked at data from incoming travellers from about 70 jurisdictions and concluded the current MIQ requirements were "inconsistent and arbitrary".
Lucy Telfar Benard said comparing the returnees' rate of vaccination and positive Covid-19 results with that of the average Aucklander, "there's no reason why they shouldn't be at the supermarket with you as well".
"At the moment that just doesn't measure up - the barrier we put in place for people coming into Auckland from places with a lower risk, compared to a lack of quarantine for other places where the risk difference is vast. It just doesn't make sense to me," she said.
Among Aucklanders infected with Covid-19, she said home isolation was fine for some people with a low-level infection and a suitable home.
However she said it was not ideal when people were in close contact with others, or needed their health to be closely monitored.
"Having more space for those cases to be in a more managed environment would certainly be useful. Freeing up space in MIQ for that would be worthwhile," she said.
“Auckland’s total case rate of 83 per million per day is higher than the case rate in many countries and higher than the vaccinated case rate in many more.”
“If you are at the supermarket in Auckland, a fully vaccinated person randomly teleported from Canada is less likely to infect you than an average resident Aucklander in the aisles,” they wrote.
Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield largely agreed and took issue with the notion that supermarkets were unsafe.
“Clearly the comparative risk of people travelling from overseas who have pre-departure tests and are fully vaccinated is low. It is not zero,” Bloomfield said.
“I think in the last few days we have seen three cases a day at the border, where actually our data show that through the Auckland outbreak, the risk of getting Covid if you go to the supermarket has been zero. So actually there is still a slightly higher risk of people coming across the border.”
National Party MP Chris Bishop has pushed for the Government to end MIQ as soon as possible.
He said the researchers' other suggestions about further restricting Auckland travel went too far however.
Indian Weekender sincerely hopes that a workable solution is found soon, whereby borders are opened for split migrant families and others who have pressing circumstances to travel overseas. As of now, the only possible way is to develop a workable system for home isolation for those who are double vaccinated and have tested negative upon arrival.
When a confirmed COVID positive case is allowed to isolate at home, why are kiwis wanting to come home for Christmas, who are double vaccinated and tested negative banished to the unforgiving and heartless world of MIQ, often termed as the lottery of misery.
Migarnts families are bearing the brunt...
When a confirmed COVID positive case is allowed to isolate at home, why are kiwis wanting to come home for Christmas, who are double vaccinated and tested negative banished to the unforgiving and heartless world of MIQ, often termed as the lottery of misery.
Migarnts families are bearing the brunt of this system, and finally they have got some support from a group of public health experts.
This group has proposed to dismantle managed isolation (MIQ) for vaccinated Kiwis heading into Auckland.
They believe people flying into the city from overseas should be allowed to skip MIQ if they're vaccinated - freeing up more space in the hotels for some of the 2000 Aucklanders who've caught the virus and remain at home.
The study was carried out by Otago University academics Lucy Telfar Barnard, Jennifer Summers, Lesley Gray, Michael Baker and Nick Wilson, and published on Monday.
It looked at data from incoming travellers from about 70 jurisdictions and concluded the current MIQ requirements were "inconsistent and arbitrary".
Lucy Telfar Benard said comparing the returnees' rate of vaccination and positive Covid-19 results with that of the average Aucklander, "there's no reason why they shouldn't be at the supermarket with you as well".
"At the moment that just doesn't measure up - the barrier we put in place for people coming into Auckland from places with a lower risk, compared to a lack of quarantine for other places where the risk difference is vast. It just doesn't make sense to me," she said.
Among Aucklanders infected with Covid-19, she said home isolation was fine for some people with a low-level infection and a suitable home.
However she said it was not ideal when people were in close contact with others, or needed their health to be closely monitored.
"Having more space for those cases to be in a more managed environment would certainly be useful. Freeing up space in MIQ for that would be worthwhile," she said.
“Auckland’s total case rate of 83 per million per day is higher than the case rate in many countries and higher than the vaccinated case rate in many more.”
“If you are at the supermarket in Auckland, a fully vaccinated person randomly teleported from Canada is less likely to infect you than an average resident Aucklander in the aisles,” they wrote.
Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield largely agreed and took issue with the notion that supermarkets were unsafe.
“Clearly the comparative risk of people travelling from overseas who have pre-departure tests and are fully vaccinated is low. It is not zero,” Bloomfield said.
“I think in the last few days we have seen three cases a day at the border, where actually our data show that through the Auckland outbreak, the risk of getting Covid if you go to the supermarket has been zero. So actually there is still a slightly higher risk of people coming across the border.”
National Party MP Chris Bishop has pushed for the Government to end MIQ as soon as possible.
He said the researchers' other suggestions about further restricting Auckland travel went too far however.
Indian Weekender sincerely hopes that a workable solution is found soon, whereby borders are opened for split migrant families and others who have pressing circumstances to travel overseas. As of now, the only possible way is to develop a workable system for home isolation for those who are double vaccinated and have tested negative upon arrival.
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