5. Question No. 5—HousingTAMATI COFFEY (Labour—Waiariki) to the Minister of HousingQuestion No. 5—Housing5. TAMATI COFFEY (Labour—Waiariki) to the Minister of Housing: What recent announcements has she made about managed isolation and quarantine facilities?Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS (Minister of Housing): On Sunday Air Commodore Webb and I released the findings of the end-to-end review of the managed isolation and quarantine system. The review found that the system was under extreme strain and identified that resourcing capacity was not sufficient to carry out planning there had been insufficient structure and role parity and there is a need for a clear chain of authority. Communication and coordination of procedures and policies needed improvement. It is important to underscore that we are one of the only countries in the world even attempting managed isolation at the border. We know that there is no playbook for this kind of pandemic. These facilities were stood up in April and this review recognises that there are some aspects of the system that need to change for it to cope with the increasing demand of returning New Zealanders. Air Commodore Webb and I have been working and will continue to work on improving our systems and our managed isolation and quarantine facilities in response to the review to protect the hard-won gains we have collectively won as a nation.Tamati Coffey: What action is the Government taking in response?Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: Even before the review concluded we began swiftly addressing resourcing issues. We've doubled the on-the-ground Defence Force staff bringing the total number of Defence Force personnel to 168 people across 21 facilities. Resourcing will continue to be a strong focus for the Government as we continue to cope with the increasing demand for returning New Zealanders. The Government announced yesterday $150 million for personal protective equipment (PPE) for front-line health workers including staff at managed isolation and quarantine facilities. We are working closely with Health to ensure PPE guidelines are up to date and consistently applied. Finally we have improved communications with returnees at all points of the returning process. A comprehensive information pack is provided to all returnees and critically nobody leaves a managed isolation or quarantine facility without returning a negative test.Tamati Coffey: How is the managed isolation and quarantine system protecting New Zealanders from COVID-19?Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: We know that our borders are the strongest line of defence in protecting our communities from COVID-19. We also know that around the world the virus is growing not slowing. With the increase in New Zealanders returning from overseas we need rigour around our border and our managed isolation and quarantine system becomes even more important. The system we have in place has worked well up to this point. We have no community transmission and cases are being picked up at the border. What this review highlights is the strain the system is under. We are working swiftly to implement its recommendations and ensure that the systems in place are able to transition effectively from the immediate response phase to a more permanent solution—and why we are not just rushing out for calls to open up the border further.