Locals frustrated as out-of-towners see out lockdown in Coromandel holiday homes

April 5, 2020

There are concerns people moving in for the lockdown are putting pressure on essential services.

From the luxurious escapes of Pauanui, to the beachside hotspot of Whangamata, an unseasonal influx of people choosing to see out the lockdown in their holiday homes has Coromandel locals fed up.

The population traditionally swells in summer, but once it drops, so does the support.

The concern now is that growing numbers would put added pressure on essential services during the coronavirus lockdown.

"Now with this excess residential number, they're struggling to cope with the increased volume," Thames-Coromandel mayor Sandra Goudie told 1 NEWS.

"You can't blame them because it's fabulous. But it's not fabulous for our over-65s, who feel seriously threatened by the situation."

Whangamata Medical practice normally has around 4000 enrolled patients. That's currently swelled two to three fold during the Covid-19 lockdown.

As a result, the Waikato DHB's setting up a drive-through Covid-19 testing service in Whangamata.

With a small number of cases in the area, Dr Fiona Bolden is worried.

"I think that if we don't get on top of the curve, and the people that are here get as ill as they may do, as we've seen abroad, we have absolutely no capacity to manage that number of sick people."

With Easter weekend just around the corner, Ms Goudie is calling for checkpoints to be in place in the Coromandel's gateways.

"It's now locked down, stay in your home, isolate in your home, no movement."

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