Traffic lights signal handsoff approach

New Zealand’s inevitable tussle with the Omicron variant shapes as one where people’s own behaviour will have a major say in how they get through it.

The Government is signalling it will be more hands-off this time than was the case against Delta and the original strain of Covid-19.

It is going to be more up to the individual and how much they know about reducing their risk of catching it, and how careful they will be — or not — when going about their lives. For those who aren’t vaccinated, or don’t pay a lot of attention to Covid-19 health advice, who take the pandemic a bit lightly, or don’t know how to access the help they need, this is going to be a risky period.

We will all have a certain amount of freedom and flexibility to get it right — or to get it wrong.

This increased reliance on a range of smaller anti-Covid weapons rather than a few big ones is the direction the country is moving towards in its strategy. The Prime Minister’s briefing on Thursday sketched the basic framework, saying Omicron couldn’t be stopped from “entering the community but, we can use tools to try to slow it down”.

With at least four border-linked cases, Omicron is here already even as the country attempts to quickly deliver boosters and paediatric shots.

In the short term, New Zealand’s basic protections will be: Closed borders as the vaccine programmes continue; a return to the red traffic light measures if required; widespread use of home isolation in an outbreak; and increased testing capacity.

Notably taken off the table are lockdowns and regional boundaries. Jacinda Ardern said Omicron would be dealt with on a countrywide basis. “When we have evidence of Omicron transmitting in the community, we won’t use lockdowns. Instead the whole country will move into red.”

Ardern said the Government would provide more information this week but spoke generally in a new table-setting way on what people should be thinking about.

The red light level included maskwearing and restrictions on gatherings. Businesses should consider supporting people to get boosters and people should think of what they would need to get through a period of self-isolation at home. Testing would focus on cases with symptoms, particularly vulnerable people, essential workers and close contacts. More detailed information would be helpful.

On masks, from next week, the White House will begin to send out 400 million top-quality N95 masks for free distribution to people.

Getting a booster is most important but if New Zealanders want to try to avoid an Omicron infection, they also need to ditch basic cloth and blue surgical masks for certified, multi-layered, and close-fitting N95s and KN95s. Perhaps they could be distributed free to people here? And perhaps more public information on how to wear masks properly would be useful?

Lockdowns may be out but reducing your own potential exposure risk is still effective.

Because Omicron is highly transmissible, it has caused staffing chaos in different sectors overseas. Businesses here need contingency planning for multiple cases of sickness impacting workers and supply issues.

Ruling out lockdowns could heap more pressure on the health system. The Government says it is focused on a preventative strategy. It made seemingly risky moves work for it in the latter part of last year and Delta cases are at low numbers, but Opposition Leader Christopher Luxon is accusing the Government of taking “a month off ” and a “lazy lack of planning” over Omicron.

Experts remain concerned that the volume of Omicron cases at the border is too high, putting too much pressure on MIQ. An upcoming MIQ room release relating to rooms in March and April was axed this week.

Ultimately, people can prepare for any widespread outbreak by getting their booster and remembering what has worked before. Lockdowns may be out but reducing your own potential exposure risk is still effective and involves choices.

That could mean working from home where possible; cutting down on trips to crowded public places; getting deliveries or click and collect; eating outside rather than inside at a cafe; and putting on your mask when near other people who are not household contacts.

It’s time to get ready to put those lessons to use again.