No new community cases; 39 Pullman Hotel leavers yet to return negative results; Hotel worker sacked after 'encounter' with guest

NZers given all-clear to travel this weekend; All close contacts of 3 community cases return negative results, but 39 Pullman Hotel leavers are yet to return negative results

29th Jan 21, 1:41pm by Jenée Tibshraeny

New Zealanders have been given the all-clear to travel this weekend, as there are no new cases of COVID-19 in the community.

All 10 close contacts of the North Auckland father and daughter have returned negative results.

The close contacts of the Northland woman are returning negative results further to undergoing additional rounds of testing.

But importantly, 39 of the 353 people who stayed at the Pullman Hotel at the same time as the three cases above are yet to return negative results.

Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield didn’t know how many of the 39 had been tested.

Over 6000 tests were processed yesterday. Nearly 2% of the Northland population has been tested since Sunday.

There are 72 active cases of COVID-19 in New Zealand.

People who visited the same locations as the father and daughter in North Auckland are being asked to isolate and get tested. See the list of locations here.

MIQ worker sacked after 'encounter' with guest

COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins confirmed a worker at a managed isolation facility - the Grand Millennium Hotel - was sacked after having a 20-minute “encounter” with a guest.

The worker took the guest a bottle of wine, having exchanged notes with them - including one written on the back of a face mask.

We welcome your comments below. If you are not already registered, please register to comment

Remember we welcome robust, respectful and insightful debate. We don't welcome abusive or defamatory comments and will de-register those repeatedly making such comments. Our current comment policy is here.

32 Comments

by Pusheen | 29th Jan 21, 1:46pm 1611881192

Felt so sorry for those low wages Pullman hotel MIQ workers, most likely renters? - being asked to do C19 unpleasant test twice weekly. The extra payment by govt & team of 5millions? - just that.. a word of 'Be kind'.

by MortgageBelt | 29th Jan 21, 1:52pm 1611881570

Yes, they are risking their lives to quarantine people who are not even intending to stay or 'return' to NZ.
Complete incompetence by this Govt. Time to ban UK, US, India, SA, and other high incidence countries.

by FCM | 29th Jan 21, 4:01pm 1611889285

oh but the senior managers and the manager, of the manager, of the manager in good old Wellington will be on a hefty six fiqure sums, pointing the finger at the poor old MIQ worker

by PocketAces | 29th Jan 21, 6:40pm 1611898826

Oh, golly gosh, must really rip your nightie to hear that NZ is No1 in the WORLD for our covid response.

by youngdumbandbroke | 30th Jan 21, 11:05am 1611957931

Pretty low bar that was set to be fair

by xingmowang | 29th Jan 21, 1:47pm 1611881229

NZ is blessed with low population density and a summer with plenty sun shine.

by realterms | 29th Jan 21, 1:56pm 1611881760

The bot is stuck in a loop now.

by Wuhan ER | 29th Jan 21, 4:01pm 1611889314

Especially when we slow down immigration from China.

by MortgageBelt | 29th Jan 21, 1:54pm 1611881640

Obviously naïve NZ is being used as an easy corridor for 'Residents' to arrive back in NZ, then straight to Australia after Q, then onto Asia or wherever. Thus, killing the NZ to Aus travel pre-bubble, and the 2 way bubble hoped for. If you are arriving back in NZ you should be staying here for a purpose.
Is Australia going to forever clean up NZ's incompetence?

by WestieAJ | 29th Jan 21, 3:31pm 1611887489

Did those people declare themselves as short term arrivals and pay for isolation. Or just lie. Get free taxpayer funded isolation and go straight from the MIQ to the airport for their flight outa here.

by MortgageBelt | 29th Jan 21, 4:02pm 1611889351

It’s an absolute disgrace.
And just shows that NZ ‘residency’ is cheap.

by Fritz | 29th Jan 21, 5:02pm 1611892967

I know of a British guy on a work visa here whose English girlfriend is arriving soon for a rendezvous. Wtf???????????????????????

by PocketAces | 29th Jan 21, 6:41pm 1611898903

Hmm I wonder who handed out the bulk of the residencies of convenience that we have to honour now?

by Pusheen | 29th Jan 21, 1:51pm 1611881468

NZ really crushed this C19 backbone, so much so..no need for Lab testing capacity preparation, hence those long queue in Northland. I'm just surprise that Ashley mentioned the test result is processed in AKL. wow, talking about flattening the curve, buying time & being ready for the next waves.. oh ah uh forgot.. yea Vaccine is ready.

by Rosenstein | 29th Jan 21, 2:02pm 1611882178

she'll be right mate

by Foxglove. | 29th Jan 21, 3:53pm 1611888829

Have commented several times here that it was high time that the frontline staff at MIQ had protection by way of being vaccinated. Seems too that other forms of protection would be prudent, for other activities?

by Carlos67 | 29th Jan 21, 2:21pm 1611883296

Mike Hosking nailed it again today. Essentially I think we are getting through this to this point in time with just dumb luck. With the new strains floating about its just a question of time before this blows up in our faces. We have had a year to get this sorted and its still a mess.

by NZChinese | 29th Jan 21, 2:34pm 1611884053

I think it is all relevant. Being an island nation with only 5 million people (and nearly half of us live in Auckland), this could well be it. Look at the UK; they could be much better if they shut down the border as we did a year ago.

by Brock Landers | 30th Jan 21, 8:32am 1611948723

To compare the borders of the UK with those of NZ is the height of idiocy.

by oldbloke1 | 29th Jan 21, 2:55pm 1611885310

Mike Hosking ....dumb....My version of a book blurb.

by PocketAces | 29th Jan 21, 6:42pm 1611898949

Dumb luck is once

by NZChinese | 29th Jan 21, 2:27pm 1611883625

"20-minute encounter" anyone recalls the aftermath created by that Aussie security guard?

by oldbloke1 | 29th Jan 21, 2:56pm 1611885380

You could hear the drooling of the reporters during the press conference. Most unedifying.

by Fritz | 29th Jan 21, 5:03pm 1611893027

A quickie

by karl seastrand | 29th Jan 21, 5:42pm 1611895330

Turned up at the door with a bottle of Le Goupeneur. A very popular drop.

by karl seastrand | 29th Jan 21, 5:57pm 1611896270

20 minutes? Did she write her name and room number on the toilet wall in the lobby? With the risk he/she posed to our country their name should be published as both a deterrent and a punishment.

by Foxglove. | 29th Jan 21, 6:23pm 1611897835

After due and equal in consideration, it may well have been then two hes, two shes, or a combination of both. The modern age. How obliging. There it is. To quote Lennon, I think. Next thing they’ll be doing it in the streets.

by PocketAces | 29th Jan 21, 6:43pm 1611899024

No one will be watching us, why don't we do it in the road

by Foxglove. | 29th Jan 21, 6:48pm 1611899304

there is an old one PA, that you might remember, where the punchline is for #3 could you please pick a street where nobody knows us.

by zorba | 30th Jan 21, 2:10pm 1611969049

Ah, the White Album, from the best band ever in the history of the world !

by kiwichas | 29th Jan 21, 9:14pm 1611908081

Only in NZ , busing the quarantined!!!
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/124087086/covid19-b…
Wish Bloomfield would go on a few of these bus trips

by kpnuts | 30th Jan 21, 11:54am 1611960896

so the EU -basically Germany and France -- are effectively introducing rules that mean any vaccine made in the EU -- goes to the EU countries first -- regardless of agreements in place -

Given that we are goign to need 5 - 10 million doses a year -- + the number of ordinary flu jabs -- does it ot make sense for hte government to use some of this borrowing to set up our own vaccine manufacturing plant ?
Would create some decent jobs - and give us vaccine security !