Venkat Raman
Auckland, September 29, 2021
National Party launched its comprehensive plan to tackle Covid-19, end lockdowns and reopen New Zealand to the world.
Launching the Plan, titled, ‘Opening Up,’ Leader Judith Collins outlined a pathway to avoid nationwide lockdowns and allow a majority of fully vaccinated travellers to and from New Zealand to travel much more easily, either without any isolation at all, or with seven days of stay in their homes.
She accused the government of taking its eye off the Covid-19 ball in 2021.
“New Zealand started the year in a good position but the slowest vaccine rollout in the developed world for most of this year and a lack of planning meant we were forced into a long lockdown in August and September, one that is still ongoing in Auckland. Instead of investing in contact tracing, ICU capacity and purpose-built MIQ, the Government frittered the Covid Response Fund away on art therapy, cameras on fishing boats, and Three Waters reform,” she said.
Significant measures
The Party’s Plan accounts for ten steps including supercharging the vaccine rollout, buying vaccine boosters and next generation treatments, using saliva testing and rapid antigen tests and building purpose built quarantine.
“It is imperative we reach a milestone of 70% to 75% of the 12 and above population to stop socially and economically damaging nationwide lockdowns. The government has no real plan beyond a belated admission that vaccination is important. The Prime Minister says that there is no vaccine target while Ministers throw around numbers willy-nilly. She also says that her ‘reconnection’ ideas are still government policy while her Covid-19 Minister says that they are being reconsidered,” she said.
Terming the government’s trail of 150 persons to self-isolate at home before Christmas as an insult, she said that it was unfair on Kiwis who have done their hard yards.
“They have willingly followed harsh lockdown measures and other Covid-19 restrictions and, increasingly, they have been vaccinated for the common good. It is time for them to be offered a vision and a plan about how their hard work will pay off,” she said.
Vaccination Programme
National’s Plan recognises that elimination strategy will not work and hence steps must be taken to live with Covid-19 and the Delta variant ‘which will inevitably visit us again.’
Whatever happens, New Zealand should open up to the world, she said.
In terms of the Plan, after New Zealand achieves 85% vaccination rate of the population aged 12 and above, travellers from low risk to medium risk countries will be allowed to travel to New Zealand without having to go through MIQ. Travellers who are not New Zealand citizens are permanent residents will not be allowed to enter New Zealand unless they are fully vaccinated.
National Party Covid-19 Response Spokesperson Chris Bishop said that the Plan will reunite New Zealand families split apart overseas, allow New Zealanders to travel overseas for business and pleasure, boost tourism and international education, Under National, Kiwis can come home for Christmas. Under Labour, they cannot,” he said.
Mr Bishop described the lottery system followed by the Labour government for MIQ allotment ‘an outrageous human lottery.’
“National’s reopening plan is based on a traffic light system and prioritises fully vaccinated travellers. Non-citizens and non-permanent residents who are not vaccinated would be banned from travelling to New Zealand. The low-risk (green) pathway is for travel from jurisdictions where there is either no or little cases of Covid-19, and where vaccination rates are above 80%.
“Vaccinated travellers from these jurisdictions would be able to come to New Zealand with a pre-departure test and a rapid and saliva test on arrival at the port of entry. Assuming all tests are negative they would be free to enter New Zealand without any isolation.
“In the first instance we expect this to apply to travellers to and from Queensland, Western Australia, the ACT, the Cook Islands and possibly Taiwan,” Mr Bishop said.
