Eleven international seamen isolating at a Christchurch quarantine hotel are infected with Covid-19, despite testing negative for the virus before flying to New Zealand.
Stuff previously reported about 440 fishermen from Russia and Ukraine were due to arrive on two flights chartered by fishing companies the first of which is thought to have touched down from Moscow via Singapore on Friday.
Many of the 237 people onboard have been isolating at the Sudima Hotel, near Christchurch Airport, since their arrival.
On Tuesday afternoon, in response to questions from Stuff, a Ministry of Health spokeswoman said there were 11 positive cases at the facility and another 14 were under further investigation.
The cases were all imported. They were detected as part of routine day three testing.
The spokeswoman said some cases requiring further investigation could be historical.
All relevant public health measures are being taken. At facilities, strict infection, prevention and control processes are followed to minimise the risk to public and staff.
The positive cases were part of a group who are the only people staying at this facility.
This is an example of our border controls working as they should, the spokeswoman said.
Head of Managed Isolation and Quarantine (MIQ) Darren Webb said the hotel had been locked down as a precaution, with guests confined to their rooms while preparations for quarantining was undertaken.
Additional security and nursing staff would be brought in and a special staff testing station established, he said.
Epidemiologist Michael Baker said the risk of community transmission was very low, and this particular episode doesn’t significantly raise it.
If everything goes to plan there should be no risk of it spreading to staff or to people in Christchurch, he said.
Seafood New Zealand chief executive Jeremy Helson said all the fishermen tested negative for Covid-19 before boarding the recent charter flight to New Zealand.
This pre-flight test was beyond what the government required. While we await to see how many cases there are, the fact that they were all detected in quarantine shows the system is working well.
Sudima chief operating officer Les Morgan said the hotel was placed in lockdown after the infections came to light on Tuesday.
Staff had since been allowed to return home.
Morgan said those who worked at the hotel were required to wear personal protective equipment (PPE) at all times while on site, even during their breaks
They were tested for Covid-19 regularly.
We treat all guests under these circumstances as potentially having the virus.
There were 230 seamen housed in about 120 rooms at the hotel. That’s about half its capacity.
They’re model guests. They’re the best guests we’ve had through, Morgan said.
Prior to the Ministry of Health’s statement confirming the positive cases, a source close to the hotel said it’s a major outbreak.
Only one imported case of Covid-19 was announced at Tuesday’s 1pm media briefing. According to the Ministry of Health’s website there are 32 active cases of Covid-19 in managed isolation and quarantine facilities.
New Zealand’s deep-sea fishing industry, largely reliant on overseas workers, has been crippled by Covid travel restrictions that have left operators unable to crew their boats, costing tens of millions of dollars.
Since September, more than 100 fishermen have flown into the country, and up to 800 are expected under special government border exceptions for such crewmen jobs that cannot be filled by Kiwis.
Sealord, Independent Fisheries and Maruha Nichiro chartered the flight that landed last week. The three companies are footing the bill for the cost of isolating the fishers.
In a joint statement on Tuesday, they said they were not sure what the impact on business would be and fully understand and are supportive of all actions required to avoid Covid-19 transmission in the community.
Any additional cost in management of these cases will be borne by the fishing companies, not the New Zealand taxpayer.
Sealord boss Doug Paulin told RNZ he only knew what the media had reported, as there had been no official contact from the Ministry of Health or MIQ. He had 110 staff in the hotel.
The crews quarantined in their homes for 14 days prior to the charter flight leaving Russia, Paulin said. They were tested three days prior as well.
There were no regrets about bringing them into New Zealand.
Baker, a disease specialist at University of Otago, said the number of new cases in this instance could present a challenge.
The more infected people we have, the more possibility there is of mistakes happening.
It is believed a maintenance worker at the Rydges Hotel in Auckland contracted Covid-19 from an elevator in August.
The Ministry of Health also believes a person who was diagnosed with coronavirus after leaving managed isolation in Christchurch contracted the virus from a rubbish bin.
This is just a reminder we have to treat all people in these facilities as if they have the virus, Baker said.
New Zealand’s borders are closed to most people beyond citizens and residents to prevent the spread of Covid, though there are exceptions for some based on their need to travel, including economic reasons.
Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi said foreign deep-sea fishing crew contribute significantly to New Zealand’s economy.
The Government accepts that there are few additional Kiwis with the experience to safely work on these ships in the short term.
In return, the industry has promised to remove barriers to employing New Zealanders.
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