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New Zealand retirement homes in lockdown to test for COVID-19
By Sam Sherwood and Jake Kenny
Wellington: Two Christchurch retirement villages were put in partial lockdown on Tuesday after a number of residents began displaying signs of respiratory illness.
However officials said the measures were precautionary and the residents were highly unlikely to have the virus.
Several residents at The Village Palms Retirement Village in Shirley were swabbed for COVID-19, and family members of residents were notified about the lockdown on Tuesday.
Residents of an aged care facility in Christchurch have reported respiratory illness symptoms.Credit: Virginia Star
A Canterbury medical officer of health, Dr Cheryl Brunton, confirmed a GP had taken the swabs, which were now being tested.
“This is in line with the Ministry of Health’s current advice on testing,” Brunton said.
“As there is currently no community transmission of COVID-19, it is highly unlikely that this outbreak is due to anything other than normal seasonal respiratory illness.”
Brookhaven Retirement Village in Woolston also tested eight of its residents for COVID-19 and put them in isolation after they displayed flu-like symptoms last week.
The testing and isolation measures were part of normal precautionary procedure, a registered nurse from the village said.
They were accepting emergency-only visits and those visiting were asked to wear masks and use hand sanitiser, the nurse said.
She was unable to confirm whether the test results had been returned, and no-one from the Canterbury District Health Board was available to comment on Tuesday evening.
However, no COVID-19 cases have been reported in New Zealand for more than 100 days outside managed quarantine facilities for people returning to the country.
The Village Palms general manager, John Amesbury, said the village had “a number of residents” with flu-like symptoms.
“We're following normal practices to isolate residents to prevent further infection,” he said.
“It's normal cold and flu season – [there is] nothing to suggest residents have anything other than normal flu. It's just standard practice and standard protocol.”
One of the Village Palms directors, Warren Glassey, said there was “nothing untoward” regarding what had happened.
“[We] have full confidence in management doing the right things,” Glassey said.
“The matters are just precautionary to ensure that any infections, chest infections or any other viruses that do from time to time get into care facilities are minimised for the health and safety of the residents.”