The Government has today announced Covid-19 isolation requirements will not be relaxed, so how do New Zealand's rules compare globally to other nations?
Isolation requirements around the world have been scaled back from the initial outbreaks of the Omicron variant at the beginning of last year.
But Aotearoa's Ministry of Health continues to require anyone who has been diagnosed with Covid-19 to isolate at home for seven days — longer than many nations overseas. The Government says it will reconsider that in the next couple of months but nothing is changing for now.
Some overseas health authorities continue to recommend people who are sick to stay at home with advice to wear masks if they must leave home.
Meanwhile at home, health experts are continuing to plead with Kiwis to heed recommendations to stay home if sick, even without specific mandates.
How do NZ's rules compare to others overseas?
In Australia, self-isolation requirements were removed entirely last October after isolation periods were initially shortened to five days.
Meanwhile, in the US, enforceable Covid-19 restrictions are now mostly up to states to manage.
While isolation rules have been ditched in most states, some, like California, continue to mandate five days of isolation for people who test positive. The period was relaxed from 10 days in the state last week.
Across the Atlantic, most European countries have removed many quarantine requirements entirely. In the UK, rapid antigen tests are no longer free for everyone, and the general public can no longer report test results.
However, a five-day isolation rule remains in Italy and some parts of Germany.
In East Asia, stay-at-home requirements have also been eased, though experts have previously cautioned that many nations in the region have higher rates of mask-wearing.
Hong Kong and Singapore have both ditched their isolation requirements entirely, while Taiwan has removed requirements to isolate for mild cases.
Meanwhile, South Korea continues to require seven days of isolation for people with symptoms but has signalled a reduction to five days in the coming months.
What are the ways our isolation rules could be relaxed?
There are several ways that Cabinet could have eased isolation requirements. but it chose not to make any changes.
This could have included removing mandated rules completely, requiring fewer days at home, or adding new criteria to isolation rules.
New modelling suggests a test-to-release scheme would significantly decrease the risk of onward transmission. (Source: 1News)
Health experts have previously advocated a "test-to-release" strategy which would allow people without symptoms to leave isolation after only five days at home — as long as they had a negative test.
All cases would have to test negative in order to leave self-quarantine, with a maximum isolation period of 10 days. Modelling on the alternative proposal was released by researchers last September.
National and ACT have previously supported a shift to the system.
Officials rejected the option last year, in part due to it potentially being too confusing for Kiwis to follow — with the risk of more Covid being spread as a result.
In addition to isolation rules, Cabinet considered all other settings today, such as masks in healthcare settings.
Doctors are concerned the cost will be a barrier to some people seeking medical treatment when they need it. (Source: 1News)
It comes as the Government slowly pairs back the resources it dedicates to the pandemic response with the removal of the Covid-19 Response ministerial portfolio and a reduction in funding that GPs get for virus-related care.
Covid self-isolation should be an 'expectation'
Earlier, Otago University epidemiologist and public health expert Michael Baker told Breakfast that there are "big gains" for New Zealand if Kiwis stayed home when they were sick.
Benefits include reducing the strain on the health system and killing fewer people prematurely from preventable infections like Covid-19, but also the flu.
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins rolled up his sleeves in Upper Hutt today to get his shots and encourage other Kiwis to do the same. (Source: 1News)
"When you have those symptoms, you should stay at home and I think that's one of the big lessons from the pandemic."
Baker said New Zealand had already had a "very vigorous response" to Covid-19, but that he is reluctant to support an easing of isolation rules.
"The core of that is vaccines and boosters being freely available. And hopefully, all eligible New Zealanders will take advantage of that.
"But we have to think about the other measures as well. One of the big things we've learned from Covid-19 is that if you have a respiratory illness, you shouldn't go to work, go to school, go to social events, and spread that infection around.
"It might be Covid-19 that you've got. It might take you a few days to confirm that."
He said the legal requirement to self-isolate added "considerable weight" to people's judgement calls about whether to stay at home.
"It does add considerable weight to know that this is an expectation. In many ways, it's just how we treat the roads. To make roads safe, we have laws and regulations and that way, we can share roads in relative safety."
Māori, Pasifika, and disabled people were also more likely to report barriers to healthcare when they had the virus. (Source: 1News)
Cabinet said today it has asked for more work to be done on whether testing to return to work earlier than the seven days for people who are not symptomatic or are mild cases could be introduced.
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