Day 7: Covid test results + hotel security

Late in the day we got our Covid test results back and, as expected, we all tested negative. So that was some good news. The next test will be on Day 12 of our managed isolation experience and if we are still negative then we're allowed out on Day 14.

Some more info came out about the case that tested positive in our hotel on Monday. A press release from the Ministry of Health advised it was someone who had come from the USA via Sydney and had tested positive at around day 3 of isolation. We still wonder how close we came. Did we walk past the infected person 

Security

Something that has intrigued us from the moment we arrived here was the level of security in place. It was very clear that we were being monitored and confined. This may be a luxury prison (by normal prison standards) but a jail of sorts it certainly is. And it is surely just human nature to think about how to be free whenever one is confined ...

The exterior of the hotel is surrounded by a double layer of security fencing. In some parts the site borders onto warehousing which have walls of over 10 metres in height and so extra security fencing isn't required. The outer part of the site that is accessible from the rooms is also well lit up at night and so any movement would be immediately obvious to the security guards dotted around the perimeter. The images below show the warehouse walls near our room at night. The moment I'd stepped outside to take these photos the security guard was there within seconds as he'd heard the sliding door open in the quiet of the night ...

There are a couple of spots where the double fencing leads to an external fence, on the side of which is a public road or carpark of an adjacent business which is freely accessible by the public. This does give some tantalising views of the free life which will be ours when we're allowed out ...

So while I'm definitely not advocating for someone to escape, it is natural for the mind of a caged prisoner to go there. If someone was fairly athletic and really determined they could probably leap over these fences and get to the outside world just as the site security went into full-blown response, but they'd almost certainly need outside help to then get further from the site. As I said, definitely not suggesting this is a good idea. These managed isolation facilities are doing a great job of keeping NZ safe and any attempt to escape shouldn't be encouraged. Quite the opposite in fact --- perhaps these are areas of the site that need some extra security attention.

In the reception area the exit area is staffed by military personnel, both in between the automatic doors and also within the lobby.

So they seem to be doing a good job of keeping this managed isolation facility secure.