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Experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic

Managed Isolation and Quarantine (MIQ) Wāhi Noho me te Whakanōhanga Taratahi a te Kāwanatanga (MIQ)

Home Reports Experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic Public health response Managed Isolation and Quarantine (MIQ)

Experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic

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What people said worked well | Ko ngā mea i kī te tangata i pai

  • While challenging at times, MIQ was necessary and helped to protect Aotearoa New Zealandfrom COVID-19.
  • MIQ was managed as well as it could have been at the time.

What people said didn’t work or could be improved | Ko ngā mea i kī te tangata kāore i pai, me pai ake rānei

  • The MIQ lottery system was a problematic and often distressing way to manage people returning to Aotearoa New Zealand, with no flexibility for individual circumstances.
  • MIQ could be an isolating and stressful experience, particularly for those with young children.
  • Preferential access to MIQ for people with influence, such as performers and sports people, was unfair.

What people suggested for the future | Ngā mea i whakatakotoria mai mō muri ake

  • People should be allowed to isolate at home.
  • MIQ allocations should be fairer and consider individual circumstances.

Managed Isolation and Quarantine (MIQ) was a common topic raised by submitters.

Some people felt MIQ was an important and worthwhile programme that helped keep Aotearoa New Zealand safe from COVID-19, by limiting its spread from people arriving from overseas. Many of the people who supported MIQ acknowledged the system had its flaws and challenges but felt that overall, it was necessary.

“I moved from the United Kingdom to New Zealand in 2016. All of my family, bar my wife, still live in the UK.

We travelled back to the UK in October 2020. My wife worked in the national health service (NHS) there, which was desperately short of staff. We returned to New Zealand in early December and went through MIQ. However, just before we left the UK, my father and his wife both caught COVID-19. His condition deteriorated quickly and he was moved to intensive care; he died whilst we were in MIQ in New Zealand.

I would have liked more flexibility to move my MIQ date as I would have remained in the UK for longer with my father, but MIQ wasn’t designed for my benefit, it was designed for the country’s benefit and therefore I have no complaints.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to attend my father’s funeral, the UK were in a third wave, and it wouldn’t have been responsible to travel and bring COVID-19 into MIQ, or the wider community.

You only get one chance to attend a funeral, and the fact that I couldn’t is hard to accept, but equally totally appropriate as my needs are not greater than the country’s needs.”

45–54-year-old Pākehā male

The main problem people identified regarding MIQ was the way rooms were allocated. People felt that the ‘lottery system’ was unfair, cruel and distressing for people wanting to return to Aotearoa New Zealand. They also thought the system lacked flexibility for people’s individual circumstances, particularly with flight cancellations happening often.

Some people also criticised what they perceived as preferential treatment given to celebrities, film crews, sportspeople and other influential people, who they said seemed to be able to enter Aotearoa New Zealand without having to take part in the MIQ lottery.

People also expressed frustration that MIQ spots could be reserved for holidays or business trips, when they felt that other people had a greater need to return home but were unable to. People suggested a different system, which prioritised people needing to travel for important events like funerals, or to visit sick or dying loved ones, receive medical treatment or give birth, or to be with family should have been used, instead of the lottery system.

“The experience of logging on with your passport number and then waiting for the jackpot initially brought hope, but that hope quickly turned to despair and disappointment. I came to loathe my home country. Why should citizens have to compete to come home? Why should we be separated from family? How dare the Government stop us seeing our new grandchild? The whole sorry MIQ operation was a disaster.”

65–74-year-old female, Otago

“Our children were not allowed to take a toy car to the exercise area because ‘it could spread COVID’. We were confined to a room with two children, and it took huge mental energy to get through the week. It was traumatic for all of us and it felt like we were treated like prisoners.”

35–44-year-old Pākehā female

People sometimes shared their positive experiences of MIQ facilities and staff.

More people, though, shared their negative experiences of MIQ. People told us they felt like ‘prisoners’ or ‘criminals’ while in MIQ, especially because of limited time outside. Issues with MIQ rooms, food, and communications from MIQ staff were raised.

People also discussed how MIQ impacted their mental health, with people feeling isolated and alone. Some told us about how MIQ was especially challenging for families with young children. COVID-19 testing and having limited outside time were particularly difficult for young children and their caregivers.

“Our two-week stay in MIQ with two young children was tough. The staff were universally wonderful and did their best, but being cooped up in a hotel room took a toll on our family. We observed behaviour from our children that we had never seen before. They argued and bickered about everything. We were very relieved to leave.”

55–64-year-old male

Another aspect of MIQ that people criticised was its cost. Some people felt MIQ was too expensive, so they couldn’t come home easily even if they did get a spot.

Others mentioned abuse of the MIQ system and of people refusing to pay the fees. They suggested MIQ facilities should have required payment (or at least credit card details) before checkout, or that it should have been pre-paid.

Many people told us they felt that MIQ cost Aotearoa New Zealand taxpayers too much.

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