Five international travellers who landed in Auckland yesterday with suspected swine flu were treated and are being kept in isolation at a secret location.
Two hotels near Auckland Airport which were asked to take the five, who have mild flu-like symptoms, told The New Zealand Herald they refused because of the risk to staff and other guests.
The clinical director of the Auckland Regional Public Health Service, Dr Julia Peters, said the five arrived yesterday morning - the fifth day of New Zealand's swine flu outbreak - on a Qantas flight.
Dr Peters said test samples were taken and they were treated at Middlemore Hospital before being taken to isolation accommodation.
She did not know where they were being kept.
"They must have identified themselves as having symptoms and were assessed by our medical team."
Health authorities asked Centra Auckland Airport Hotel and Hotel Grand Chancellor Auckland Airport about taking the five patients.
The Centra's general manager, Geoff Haigh, said he could not put people with suspected swine flu in the same facilities as other guests.
"How am I going to clear out 210 rooms? I offered that the best I could do is clear a block of 30 rooms. Even then that would take me a day to do because they are occupied.
"I'm surprised they asked us. It's highly inappropriate."
Grand Chancellor general manager Brett Stuart also said housing the suspected cases at his hotel would be inappropriate.
