Norovirus publicity blamed for camp closure

BY HAYLEY GALE

Golden Bay Holiday Park at Tukurua, hit by a norovirus outbreak during its peak summer season, is to close.

Campground owner Bob Perriam said it would finish trading on April 12 until further notice. He blamed adverse publicity surrounding the norovirus outbreak as the cause.

Hundreds of campers became ill with vomiting and diarrhoea over the period from Christmas until January 27. The virus was confirmed as norovirus following an investigation by the public health authority.

Mr Perriam said today that he would be examining plans for the future of the campground over the next few months and he would be looking at all forms of land use.

"We're very open-minded and we'll be looking forward to see where we go from here," he said.

The two-bedroomed beachfront apartments at the campground, which opened in the spring, would remain open independent from the camp.

Mr Perriam said in a letter to guests that the impact of negative publicity on its business had been its death knell.

He said that after the letter had gone out he had received "a flood of replies in support".

"Some campers said that even though they had been the ones affected by the illness it had not put them off returning again," he said.

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Do you think the owners of the Golden Bay Holiday Park were right to close the site? email chiefreporter@nelsonmail.co.nz

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Both the Nelson Marlborough District Health Board medical officer of health Dr Ed Kiddle and the Tasman District Council have been investigating the cause of the virus outbreak.

Last week, council environmental and planning manager Dennis Bush-King said sewage disposal systems from homes upstream of the campground were to be examined in its continuing investigations into pollution of the Tukurua Stream.

The council had also not ruled out the possibility that the E coli pollution could be from animal sources further upstream. Today, council regulatory manager Jean Hodson confirmed that investigations were continuing.

Dye testing of the camp's internal effluent system had cleared the campground of any fault.

Following the virus outbreak, public health officers recommended that the campground close to new guests in a bid to contain the outbreak. The campground was re-opened on January 29 after no symptoms of vomiting or diarrhoea were reported for 48 hours. A no-bathing TDC sign still remains beside the Tukurua Stream near the beach, warning people to avoid contact with the stream.

Public health authorities believe the source of the norovirus outbreak probably came from someone arriving at the camp while still in a contagious state, and this then spread from person to person when the population of the camp was at its greatest over the peak season.

- © Fairfax NZ News