Covid 19 coronavirus: what if there is an outbreak during the summer? Government reveals plan

The Government has unveiled its “worst case” plan for how New Zealand would respond to another Covid-19 outbreak if it occurred during the summer months.

“If we find it, we will remove it and make sure the government Covid-19 team and national support network are ready,” said Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins.

Hipkins and Chief Health Officer Ashley Bloomfield are holding a press conference to reveal a variety of scenarios the government is proactively planning, ranging from a now-typical contained border case to a comprehensive national response.

For example, a “national response” would be triggered if someone returned home from a music festival and tested positive for Covid-19.

In this scenario, nationwide testing would dramatically increase and other events across the country would be canceled.

New Zealanders will also be asked to “stay where they are in their bubble” and await official advice, even if they are in a vacation home or undergraduate degree.

Hipkins said that people in remote locations, where there is limited cell phone coverage, would likely be safe from exposure to Covid-19.

But they would still have to follow public health advice when returning from those places: “this is a personal responsibility.”

Finance Minister Grant Robertson also described how the government would financially support businesses in the event of a summer outbreak.

This includes another round of wage subsidy payment, if New Zealand, or the affected regions, enters level 3 or 4.

If New Zealand enters Tier 2, that would trigger the new government resurgence support payment.

Payment includes a base company fee of $ 1,500, plus $ 400 per employee, up to a total of 50 full-time (equivalent) employees, a limit of $ 21,500.

This scheme would be available to companies that experience a 30 percent drop in revenue over a 14-day period.

In addition to this, if any worker needs to stay home while waiting for a Covid-19 test, the government will pay their employer $ 350 to cover the cost of their absence; the employee would take sick leave.

Hipkins said Covid-19 is sweeping the high seas and despite the best efforts of the government, there is always the possibility of more community cases in New Zealand.

“The summer vacation period poses some unique challenges in responding to an outbreak,” he said.

“Many of us will travel for vacations or seasonal work, there will be more social gatherings and big events like festivals and, like other Kiwis, there will be health workers who will take a well-deserved leave.”

To prevent another outbreak, the government continues to ask New Zealanders to follow the Covid-19 prevention steps.

These include keeping Bluetooth on and continuing to scan the Covid-19 tracking app, staying home if one is sick, and practicing basic hygiene.

“While we cannot predict exactly where or how a community case might arise, New Zealanders can be sure that the planning has been extensive,” said Hipkins.

How would the government respond to an outbreak:

Phase One: Evaluation
Confirmed community case and risk of transmission assessed

Phase two: immediate response
If necessary, the Covid-19 Resurgence Plan of the Ministry of Health and the National Resurgence Response Plan would be activated. The location and extent of the outbreak risk would be assessed.

A central government leadership group would decide whether any further action is required, whether to monitor the situation or activate the response system.

Sentence three: sustained response
If the response system is activated, a team of central and local government, iwi and community leaders work with the Civil Defense and local Emergency Management to manage the outbreak, including: Immediate public health response Attention to vulnerable people and communities Support to the companies.

Have a backup plan

Hipkins said it has been an “interesting and challenging” 12 months.

He said that since the August outbreak, there have been an average of 36,000 tests per week.

He thanked New Zealanders for their work on Covid-19 and noted that, per capita, New Zealand’s tests are among the best in the world.

Hipkins said the government would respond “quickly and openly” if Covid-19 was discovered in the community over the summer.

“After a long and hard year, New Zealanders deserve a summer vacation.”

He called on Kiwis to have a “Covid-19 backup plan” if they leave for the holidays.

Meanwhile, Bloomfield said it has been a difficult year but that “we don’t want to drop a trap now.”