New self-isolation rules for returnees who bypass managed isolation and quarantine won't bring significant additional risk to New Zealand as there will already be a large number of Omicron cases in the community, the COVID-19 Response minister says.
The rules were released ahead of New Zealand entering a new phase in its pandemic response on Tuesday night where the health system places a greater focus on the most vulnerable communities and Kiwis will have to take more responsibility for identifying their contacts and locations of interest.
"We have to acknowledge that we're entering a new phase in our COVID-19 response, where people coming across the border aren't necessarily going to be any greater risk to us than people who are already in the community," Chris Hipkins told AM on Wednesday.
"We'll be treating them on the same basis so they'll be effectively treated as a contact and they'll isolate for a period, but they will be able to isolate in a household with other family members. They won't be allowed to have visitors and they won't be able to get out and about. But they'll be regularly tested.
"We're reducing risk, but we're not eliminating it completely because we're entering a different phase where there will be more risk out there already."
MIQ will end on February 28 for Kiwis coming back from Australia, while Kiwis returning from elsewhere around the globe can bypass MIQ from mid-March. Tourists from Australia and other visa-waiver countries will be able to visit by July, while the border will fully reopen in October.
The Government hasn't announced when the self-isolation requirement will end, but has acknowledged it isn't an indefinite measure.
The length of isolation has been shortened, however, at the second phase of the Omicron plan.
Isolation periods for contacts and cases have been cut to 10 days and seven days respectively, and the Government's test-to-return exemption scheme has begun. This allows critical workers to return to work as long as they have daily negative rapid antigen test (RAT) results.
The move to the second phase on Tuesday night came after daily case totals nearly hit the 1000 mark.
There were 810 cases on Sunday, 981 on Monday, and 744 cases on Tuesday. Highlighting the relatively low risk of returnees, there were just 62 new border cases in total across those three days, some of which were historical cases.
At the second phase, household contacts of cases will still be managed by contact tracing services and be required to take a PCR test on day five. However, the Government acknowledges the likely pressure on resources from the growing number of cases will mean the system needs to "shift from identifying all infected individuals to being more targeted to those most at risk and those needed to keep the country going".
"Digital technology is used more in this phase. Cases will be notified via text message and be directed to an online self-investigation tool which will focus on high risk exposures. Information will be provided via email and phone based interviews will still take place where it’s required. Other forms of support will be available to those who need it."
Newshub reported on Tuesday night that there are concerns about a lack of options for large families if one member becomes a case and has to isolate.
"Households that have families of 10-plus end up staying in isolation periods for up to 45 days," said Cherry Elisaia, South Seas community support isolation quarantine lead.
Health Minister Andrew Little told Newshub he's aware of the issues and is talking with DHBs about alternative accommodation. He said MBIE had access to 125 campervans but they'd only be allowed to be used in "exceptional" circumstances.
Hipkins told AM that he'd encourage returnees to avoid isolating in overcrowded or large households.
"MIQ is still available in some cases where it's absolutely justified, it may not be for a long time. But I would encourage people to work out what other alternatives are, whether they can arrange for another place to stay and which is going to expose them to fewer people."
According to the new self-isolation rules for returnees, travellers will be allowed to leave their accommodation for "special circumstances", such as visiting terminally ill relatives, accessing urgent healthcare or attending court hearings. They will be encouraged to take a RAT if visiting a high-risk location, like a hospital or aged care facility, and to follow health measures.
Three RATs will be provided to returnees when they arrive back in New Zealand. They will have to report the results of two on day 0/1 and day 5/6, which only provides one spare if the returnees need to use them to go out.
"In terms of the rapid antigen testing, we do expect it's going to be more widely available," Hipkins said.
"I think that aged care facilities in many cases have their own policies around who can come in and out of an aged care facility and they have approaches to make sure that they're keeping their residents safe.
"At the moment, our focus is on making sure that they are available and free, Government-provided tests are available to people who need to get a negative test in order to go to work every day because they are in close contact and because they're essential because we need them to keep our infrastructure going, our supply chains open and so on."
Hipkins said the Government's secured enough RATs to operate the critical worker exemption scheme. By the end of the month, Hipkins said we will have tens of millions of RATs, with another 50 million expected in March.
"I know that people want to have access to rapid antigen tests… businesses want to use them for things like surveillance so that they can just do regular testing of their staff. Government won't be supplying those. If they can source those, then they can certainly do that, but we won't be sourcing those tests for them."
The Government announced earlier this month that 58 million RATs had been secured to the end of March, with a total of 123 million RATS ordered through to June.
The Opposition, however, has accused the Government of being too slow to get RATs into New Zealand and said they may have helped provide some relief to PCR testing stations which have been inundated with people seeking tests in recent days.
Hipkins said more people will soon be using RATs and at the moment only people who have symptoms or are close contacts of a case should be going to a testing station.
