Contrasting reactions to new controls

WELLINGTON: The Government is feeling the pressure from all sides over the latest border controls.

New rules, announced on Tuesday, mean nearly all New Zealanders living abroad will soon have to show a negative Covid19 test before boarding their flight home.

Only travellers from Australia, Antarctica and some Pacific Islands will be exempt.

The Health Ministry is expected to announce a phased introduction of countries affected over the coming weeks, beginning with the United Kingdom and United States from midnight tomorrow.

It is a shift in position for the Government, which last year described blanket predeparture testing as ineffective and unnecessary.

National Party leader Judith Collins said her party had been calling for such action since August and the Government had been ‘‘lackadaisical’’ and ‘‘complacent’’ in its response.

Epidemiologist Prof Michael Baker said National’s criticism had validity as most airlines already required a negative test now anyway.

‘‘We have been quite slow with this,’’ he said.

‘‘I don’t think it’s enough.’’ Prof Baker said the Government risked putting too much faith in a single predeparture test and wanted it to go even further.

He said people coming to New Zealand from highrisk spots should be required to first quarantine at an airport hotel for five days with a rapid test at checkin and checkout.

That would greatly reduce the chance of a person becoming infected with Covid-19 in the few days before departing.

In contrast, microbiologist Associate Prof Siouxsie Wiles — a vocal critic of predeparture testing — was disappointed by the blanket introduction.

‘‘What happens to families if someone tests positive? Do they end up being stranded overseas? What happens if they’re stranded in a country where they might not have adequate healthcare?’’

Prof Wiles preferred New Zealand took a more ‘‘compassionate’’ approach.

‘‘We know the pandemic is raging. People have a right to come home. I worry about putting barriers in their way.’’

Yesterday, the Ministry of Health announced New Zealanders were scanning QR codes with the Covid Tracer app at almost half the rate they were two months ago.

In November, there were an average of 866,000 scans per day.

That dropped to 516,000 in December and has slipped to 465,000 per day in January so far — almost half of November levels.

Directorgeneral of health Ashley Bloomfield said people needed to stay on high alert as the virus spread quickly, and cases continued to increase globally.

There were seven new cases of Covid-19 reported yesterday, all in managed isolation.

He asked people to take the time to scan in with the app, or record their own diary so contact tracing could take place quickly if there was another outbreak.

‘‘We can’t afford to get complacent,’’ Dr Bloomfield said.

INCREASED testing measures for air passengers coming into New Zealand announced this week have been welcomed, but questions remain about aspects of the Government’ s response.

The moves have been made as more contagious variants of the virus sweep many countries.

The new testing regime includes requiring travellers (except, at this stage Australia, the Antarctic, and some Pacific Island nations) to have proof of a negative test result in the 72 hours before departure.

It remains to be seen if this will prove to be a logistical nightmare in some countries, how easy it might be to ensure fake results are excluded, and if the allowances made for situations where flights are cancelled or delayed will be fair to returnees who may be in straitened circumstances in countries where access to healthcare is limited.

As Covid19 response minister Chris Hipkins says, we are in ‘‘a very fortunate position with no community cases — let alone of new variant types — but we take nothing for granted’’.

With that in mind, it is disconcerting to read of the dropoff in both Covid testing in the community and the use of the Covid tracer app.

In our laidback summer mode, perhaps we have all become so used to there being no community transmission that we have become complacent.

Part of the reason for the decline in people seeking Covid19 tests will be the decrease in flulike symptoms during the summer months.

However, we doubt all of those with the symptoms which might indicate the coronavirus — a new or worsening cough, a fever of at least 38degC, shortness of breath, sore throat, sneezing and runny nose, a temporary loss of smell — are seeking tests.

It is likely some are put off by the prospect of the nasopharyngeal swab.

We wonder why it is taking so long to introduce saliva testing as a complementary test. This was recommended in late September by the Heather Simpson and Sir Brian Rocheled advisory committee to oversee the implementation of the surveillance plan and testing strategy.

The committee asked that priority be given to broadening the range of testing methods, singling out saliva testing as something which should be introduced as soon as possible to increase acceptability of testing.

It said plans at that time showed widespread introduction of saliva testing, already well established in some other countries, was still more than two months off. We are overdue for an update on this.

If there are problems introducing such a test, we need to know about them.

It would also be good to know how far away Medsafe is from approving any of the vaccines in the Government’s cache.

This week, we have heard managers at isolation facilities raising concern about the opprobrium their workers are facing in the community and some have quit their jobs because of it.

There were reports of nurses being confronted in supermarkets, stopped from attending school meetings or going on to school grounds and, even more ridiculously, some even found it hard to get routine appointments at doctors and dentists.

This behaviour is unacceptable. The SimpsonRoche report said as the Government develops sustainable testing strategies for the next 2436 months, messaging needs to ensure no stigma or negativity attaches to workers engaged in key border facing roles.

That report also pointed out it needed to be recognised the emotional and physical demands on the workforce was significant and probably not sustainable at the existing levels over a twoyear period.

Regular rostering of people in and out of the response needed to be part of the plan.

Without a concerted effort to stamp out any abuse of our heroic workers, there must be a risk to the sustainability of the response.

Communication from the Government needs to step up, so it is comprehensive on this and every front if our leaders are to maintain the population’s confidence in their measures.