MIQ changes for health staff welcomed, but won’t plug south Auckland gap

The New Zealand Nurses Organisation says changes to guarantee MIQ spaces for healthcare workers are a good start, but are not going to address shortages district health boards like Counties Manukau are facing, Stuff reports. “In the Auckland region alone there’s 1000 vacancies for nurses,” said New Zealand Nurses Organisation acting nursing and professional services manager Kate Weston. The Government’s move to allow Covid-19 patients to isolate at home would also lead to more demand for nurses expected to monitor them, Weston said.