A Rotorua community leader says people are starting to get "really pissed off" with changes to Covid-19 strategy "every couple of weeks".
Rotorua community leader Merepeka Raukawa-Tait. Photo: Rotorua Daily Post / Andrew Warner via LDR
Rotorua district councillor, Lakes DHB member and Whānau Ora Commissioning chairwoman Merepeka Raukawa-Tait made the comments today in response to the government's Omicron three-phase approach.
Rotorua MP Todd McClay says the government needs to provide the public with more information and small businesses are confused and worried.
The government yesterday released its phased approach on how it would tackle the Omicron variant as it spread through the community.
It consisted of three phases, the first of which is the status quo, while phases two and three would reduce isolation periods for cases and close contacts to 10 and seven days respectively.
The definition of a close contact required to isolated would change to "household or household-like contacts" at phase three, and there would be increased use of rapid antigen tests with a "test to return" policy in place for health and critical workforces.
It would also see greater use of technology, such as text notifications for cases and close contacts and automated contact identification.
Associate Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall said it was a change in strategy in response to the Omicron variant in the community.
Phase three would be triggered when cases were in their thousands, she said.
Director general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield told RNZ movement between phases would be based on the number of cases as well as rate of increase in cases and pressure on contact tracing.
On Thursday, Raukawa-Tait told Local Democracy Reporting said she believed "people are now getting really pissed off".
"Too many changes announced every couple of weeks and it's starting to feel like scaremongering. [It's] self-fulfilling if we're not careful.
"We have been risk planning and managing for the past two years, and now with Omicron that continues, but we shouldn't be shutting down functions and events.
"I think the risks can be well managed. And that's what we should be focusing on now - living with and managing risks."
Rotorua MP Todd McClay receiving a Covid-19 vaccine. Photo: Bay of Plenty Times / Stuart Whitaker via LDR
McClay said local small business owners were worried and confused about the plan.
There was uncertainty among them of how to continue operating if they had to stand staff down for "long periods of time" if they tested positive or were a close contact.
McClay said he spoke to one coffee shop owner who had lost a staff member "for the next few weeks" because the person was a close contact of a case, and "if she loses any more [staff] she won't be able to open".
"The government needs to provide more information ... on when rapid antigen tests will be available and who has to work and who shouldn't so that businesses and households know where they stand."
He said the government also needed to provide more information on why the phase plan was decided upon and specifically when each phase would take effect.
"There will be people who are scratching their heads and have more questions than answers.
"The government said there's no lockdown but if half a million New Zealanders are having to self-isolate and continue to take tests it has the same effect as a lockdown."
Asked about Raukawa-Tait and McClay's comments, a government spokesperson said its public health response aimed to minimise the impact of the virus and protect people from it.
"One main thing to note regarding isolation is that in phase three the definition of contacts changes to household or household-like contacts. That's when we will see more cases in the community, affecting more people."
Meanwhile, Lakes DHB member Ngahihi o te ra Bidois said the phased approach "makes sense".
He said it was a "progressive" strategy and the government had been clear on its Covid-19 response strategies, and reaching 90 percent eligible vaccination helped implement the latest approach.
"It puts more emphasis on each individual and each whānau.
"I think that in Rotorua we would respond well to this, Māori will respond well to this."
Lakes DHB member Ngahihi o te ra Bidois. Photo: Rotorua Daily Post / Andrew Warner via LDR
He said some marae had already proactively closed as a response to the risk.
Bidois said he was still concerned about Māori vaccination rates.
"I'm just disappointed that people haven't responded positively to the medical expertise and help that's out there because it's our whānau that are going to be affected when people are not vaccinated.
"Omicron doesn't care who you are. It doesn't care if you're vaccinated or unvaccinated. It doesn't care how old you are, how young you are. It doesn't care what political beliefs or even religious beliefs you hold. Omicron is a very contagious and serious illness."
Rotorua mayor Steve Chadwick said she felt "very comfortable" with the plan.
"There will be a ramping up of cases with Omicron, we are all very aware of that, although we can't predict exactly what the extent ... or pace of it, will be."
Rotorua mayor Steve Chadwick. Photo: Rotorua Daily Post / Andrew Warner via LDR
She said that reinforced the need for vaccinations or boosters for adults and children, as well as masks, social distancing and having a self-isolation plan.
"A key challenge and aim are keeping Covid out of the workforce as much as possible, and that will require everybody to play their part."
Rotorua Lakes Council acting chief executive Oonagh Hopkins said it was providing support to local agencies leading the response, including coordinating distribution of food where needed and logistical support for the district health board.
She said the council needed to ensure essential service continuity and were "constantly reviewing the situation" to make changes as necessary.
University of Canterbury mathematical modeller professor Michael Plank said the plan was a phased shift away from active cases and contact management to more automated systems and self-management as the number of daily cases grew.
"This will allow public health resources to be focused on the highest risk cases.
"The aim of these changes is to keep the majority of cases isolated during their most infectious period, but allow people to resume work as soon as possible."
Plank, who is partly funded by the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet for research on mathematical modelling of Covid-19, said at the peak of the wave of cases it was likely a significant proportion of people could be isolating, so reducing isolation periods was necessary to ensure critical services - such as health care and supply chains - could be maintained.
Waiariki MP Rawiri Waititi was approached for comment.
There were seven new Covid-19 cases in the Lakes District Health Board today, all in the Rotorua area.
Six are household contacts of previously reported cases and the seventh remains under investigation.
Local Democracy Reporting is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air.
Local Democracy Reporting is a public interest news service supported by RNZ, the News Publishers' Association and NZ On Air.