“Worried” people are coming forward to be tested for Covid-19 and their numbers are leaving testing centres struggling under the weight.
Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins told Breakfast people who don’t have a reason to be tested and who are “just a bit worried” are causing issues for the system.
“This isn’t about elimination. This isn’t about zero tolerance anymore,” Hipkins explained of the country’s move to Phase 2 of the Government’s Omicron response at 11.59pm last night.
New Zealand remains in the Red level of the traffic light system. Phase 2 mainly reduces isolation times and contact tracing methods due to the growing number of cases.
“It’s about recognising that there will be Covid-19 cases out there in the community. We’ve got to manage that risk as much as we can. We’ve got to make sure the people who most need access to testing are able to get it, the people who most need access to medical care are able to get it," Hipkins said.
“Our testing, particularly our PCR testing, that really has to be for those who are either close contacts of someone who’s got Covid or people who are showing symptoms, so that we can make sure we’re getting those results as fast as we can so we can help to contain some of that risk.
“My message to people is, if you’re not showing symptoms and you’re not a close contact, not getting tested actually helps us to keep you safer, because it means that we can get those test results for the people who need them turned around much faster, and as a result we can help to reduce the spread of the virus.”
A total of 21,070 tests were carried out on Monday, while 744 community cases were recorded on Tuesday.
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