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Self-isolation trial announced for businesses in lieu of MIQ

Author
NZ Herald/Newstalk ZB,
Publish Date
Mon, 27 Sep 2021, 3:55PM

Self-isolation trial announced for businesses in lieu of MIQ

Author
NZ Herald/Newstalk ZB,
Publish Date
Mon, 27 Sep 2021, 3:55PM

There were 12 new Covid cases in the community announced today.

All of the cases are in Auckland and two of today's have yet to be linked to existing cases, the Ministry of Health says. All cases were in isolation or MIQ through their infectious period.

However, of yesterday's cases, 10 had been infectious in the community.

Thirteen people with Covid-19 are in hospital - four in ICU or a high-dependency unit.

There were 6906 tests conducted in the last 24 hours.

Over the weekend, the vaccination campaign passed five million doses, while slowing considerably.

Just 24,710 jabs were administered on Sunday, including an alarming 8182 first jabs.

The daily figure was less than a third of the peak daily rate at the end of August.

Today's 4pm Update:

  • Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said government will release decision on interest deductibility tomorrow, as part of the government's measures to stabilise the housing market. 
  • Dr Ashley Bloomfield reminded people it’s mental health week this week 
  • The 7 day rolling average of case sis 15. It was 17 the week before, and 19 the week before that. Importantly, says Bloomfield this drop has happened in level 3. 
  • "We are making progress. Many of our clusters are now considered to be contained, or clusters are dormant" said Bloomfield. 
  • He said the modelling from Shaun Hendy emphasised that the higher the vaccination rates, the lower the deaths and hospitalisations, and the less the need for restrictions. "But the pathway forward for each country needs to be travelled with care and thought." He said moving forward too soon put the unvaccinated and immune compromised at risk 
  • Ardern said in early August, the roadmap to reconnect New Zealand was released including a staged approach. 
  • That included a self-isolation trial for some travellers. 
  • Cabinet has decided the pilot would be capped at 150 people. 
  • It would focus on those who needed to travel for business, primarily in the private sector. 
  • Ardern said it would be coupled with a testing and monitoring regime. It was only being offered to businesses because they had "some skin in the game." 
  • Expressions of interest would open on Thursday. 
  • The plan to re-open quarantine free travel for RSE workers from the Pacific would start again, with Vanuatu from early October. 
  • All those taking part from Vanuatu, Samoa and Tonga would need at least one vaccine dose. 
  • Ardern said it allowed a trial of a "pseudo" form of shortened isolation for some travellers. 
  • The Government is exploring vaccine certificates, she said. "Decisions will be made well in time before those summer festivals will have to have those decisions." 
  • Door-to-door testing has been done in at least two suburbs where there's been outbreaks. Ardern didn't know how many streets off hand. 
  • An announcement would be made tomorrow about people needing to relocate outside of Auckland. 
  • On the ICU Nurse shortage, Bloomfield said "We've had year on year increases in our nursing pool." But ICU nurses a very specialised role, so having DHBs train non-ICU nurses on use of ventilators. 
  • Ardern says they are looking how to integrate wider testing options into the regular testing regime. "We are using and proposing to use antigen testing as part of our border work." It is also being used at Middlemore, she said. 

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