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The government is cautioned against introducing a pre-departure Covid-19 test for desperate New Zealanders trying to return home from high-risk countries.
Travelers from Great Britain (pictured) will need to take a Covid-19 test before traveling to New Zealand if the proposal goes ahead.
Photo: AFP / Niklas Halle’n
Yesterday, the government announced an additional day one Covid-19 test, in addition to the tests on day three and day 12, as an additional layer of protection amid new variants of the virus emerging abroad.
These tests will begin to be carried out from December 31.
But it’s the idea of a pre-start test that has some scratching their heads.
Keeping the virus out of New Zealand and more specifically, the community, remains the government’s priority.
The new proposal for a pre-departure test would cover people traveling from Britain, where they have returned to lockdown due to new variants of the virus.
Anyone requiring a pre-departure test would have to pay for it themselves.
Microbiologist Siouxsie Wiles said that can create unfair barriers.
Microbiologist Siouxsie Wiles
Photo: RNZ / Dan Cook
“The problem with requiring a test is where the test is done, how available is it to get a test, and how reliable are the tests that people get … and then there’s the issue of who can pay for the test,” he said Dr. Wiles said.
It may not stop the virus either, he said.
“There is no guarantee that when you test negative, you will not test positive on the way to the airport or on the plane.”
Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins called the pre-departure test an additional hurdle and said it had not been considered lightly.
The government would not leave people in the lurch, he said.
“We would notify people before pressing the start button.”
There was still a lot to solve and fix, he said.
“If you’re traveling from London, for example, you may be traveling somewhere that doesn’t require a pre-departure test to then travel to New Zealand, so they won’t necessarily verify your pre-departure test in London, And that creates an interesting challenge for us that other countries that are imposing this requirement don’t have. “
Pre-departure measures could be in effect from mid-January.
The National Party had been calling for pre-departure testing to be added to the country’s defenses against Covid-19, and its spokesman Chris Bishop said Morning report The government’s move was a step in the right direction.
Chris Bishop, spokesperson for National Party Covid-19 Response
Photo: RNZ / Dom Thomas
But they had to go even further and make it a requirement for all arrivals rather than just those from Great Britain, he said.
“We just have to keep Covid out of New Zealand, the prospect of more shutdowns and more community broadcasts in New Zealand is not something I think anyone listening would want and we just have to take a hard line.”
Bishop said he understood the concerns about being able to access a test, but did not think that was the biggest barrier to coming here at this stage.
“I think there are legitimate concerns around that but the biggest barrier to going back to New Zealand right now is not being able to get a Covid test, the biggest barrier is going through MIQ … no spots available until March.
“The obligation is for people returning to New Zealand to go and get tested. Our border is our first and best defense against Covid and this essentially extends our border offshore as well. The simple reality is that Covid is spreading around of the world, especially with this new strain that worries a lot of people a lot “.
He said a trans-Tasman bubble needed to be established as soon as possible to free up spaces in a managed isolation.
When asked if National would consider extending aid to those struggling to get out of Britain or other countries, he said it was something that would be discussed in time.
