The Government is considering buying "one or two" of the 31 hotels across New Zealand currently being used as MIQ facilities. Covid-19 response Minister Chris Hipkins said in a statement today the purchase of MIQ hotels was part of the "long-term" planning the Government was doing in its defence against Covid-19. There have been numerous breaches from MIQ hotel facilities across New Zealand since the country's first lockdown in March 2020. In June, the Herald reported on the varying concerns around a Covid-19 vaccination centre being erected metres away from a quarantine facility's exercise area. A MIQ spokesperson said members of the public were allowed to talk to MIQ residents through the fences, but residents were required to wear a mask and remain at least two metres away.

Source: New Zealand Herald July 03, 2021 00:15 UTC