A New Zealand epidemiologist says new measures around isolating international air crew will strengthen our border system.
The new measures announced by the Ministry of Health today mean guidelines will now be mandated.
Overseas-based air crew who are laying over in New Zealand will be required to stay in a Government-managed isolation facility for as long as they are in the country, to ensure they avoid contact with Kiwis.
They will also have to wear appropriate PPE while in New Zealand airports and when travelling between the airport and their hotel.
Previously overseas air crew stayed in a hotel of the airlines choosing, a ministry spokesperson told 1 NEWS.
New Zealand-based crew returning to Aotearoa from high-risk locations overseas will be required to self-isolate for at least 48 hours after they return, and until they are assessed as being low risk for Covid-19. They will also be required to have a test on day two of their return.
New Zealand-based air crew will also be required to use PPE on all flights and to isolate with other crew members while on overseas layovers.
University of Otago professor Michael Baker says the measures are a “positive step in the right direction to having a more consistent approach to managing biosecurity at our borders".
He says while there have been some “weak points” in the system, and the move to focus on air crew will close one of the “loop holes” in they system “quite effectively.
“I mean it’s not quite the same standard of rigour that we are applying to returning travellers, but I think the difference of course is that the air crew are staying in their bubble if you like, overseas as a group, so they shouldn’t have any interaction with local people."
“And also this system means they will be regularly tested when they get to New Zealand," Baker said.
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