“Today’s announcement from the Government that it will let people who’ve tested positive for COVID isolate at home, demonstrates how inconsistent its policies are,” says ACT Leader David Seymour.
“The Government needs to let fully vaccinated Kiwis stuck offshore who’ve had a negative test skip MIQ and do the same.
“The weekly ‘hunger games’ of stranded Kiwis and skilled migrants trying to get into New Zealand has been dubbed a national disgrace. If home isolation is good enough for the team of five million, it should be good enough for the team of six million.
“Unfortunately, the Government will not join the dots and use risk-appropriate responses to COVID. It will announce one measure at a time with little consistency or logic.
“If it was committed to managing COVID risk, it would see that a double vaccinated person from overseas, especially one that’s had a negative test, is less of a threat than a case who may be vaccinated and is confirmed to have COVID.
“The Government could choose to be honest about the situation. The outbreak in Auckland will now be managed in the community. The benefit of keeping Kiwis out of their own country no longer stacks up.
“It should announce a date, ACT says December 1 should be Freedom Day, and say that people will not have to go through MIQ if they’re double vaccinated and have a negative pre-departure test.”