By Martha Taumata Faavae
The health quarantine security task force grabbed a hotel staff member and placed him in quarantine for fears he was exposed to the stranded travellers held in isolation.
The incident is one of several where a strict watch is in place to keep the travellers away from the general public.
The hotel staff worker reportedly went shopping in a small shop close by and in conversation with shopkeeper said he was with the quarantine travellers.
The shopkeeper out of fear called the Ministry of Health on him and he was removed from the hotel and isolated in another quarantine site.
In another incident a hotel security officer received a dressing down from a monitoring health official for allowing a quarantine traveller to step out beyond the boundary they were not supposed to cross.
Strict policing of the quarantine sites took a different twist though when health authorities agreed to safety worries raised by one of the villages.
The concern was the quarantine site was too close to family homes and it was a health security worry for them.
Home isolation is allowed for the returning travellers but subject to conditions that the health task teams have to oversee and approve.
The consent of nearby neighbours and or the village must be given before any final approval is made.
Travellers must also apply for home quarantine before they arrive from New Zealand to give time for approval inspections of the location and other necessary requirements.
There were 11 applications made from the second group that arrived last Friday and it is understood some were granted after the health team were happy the selected location met the criteria.
More groups are still being flown in after the others have gone through quarantine detention before they are released to go home.