“Omicron is, to quote the PM, a ‘whole new virus,’ and we can’t be caught out with another March 2020 response, so
Cabinet needs to confront reality with new goals and strategies today,” says ACT Leader David Seymour.
“In simple terms, very few interventions to slow, let alone stop, the spread of Omicron will be worth it. Instead, the
strategy will have to change to protecting vulnerable people from going to an under resourced hospital system while
society carries on.
“When Delta hit we were unprepared, vaccination rates were too low and the rules and responses were little different
from March 2020’s. It took three months before a new response was in place. The cost to Kiwis at home and abroad was
enormous. With reserves depleted by that episode, the response to Omicron needs to be different and better.
“Today we face the imminent arrival of a new variant, with Omicron cases piling up at the border, several near misses
already, and the booster program just beginning, the run up to Omicron feels like Delta déjà vu.
“We again find ourselves fortunate that our isolation gave us a head start. Omicron started in Africa over a month ago,
and spread through Europe and North America before getting close to our Islands. The important thing is that time
doesn’t get wasted.
“After a month of almost total absence, Jacinda needs to come out with real solutions for dealing with this new ‘whole
new virus.’ There are five things Cabinet should do:Acknowledge that Omicron will change the script, so that new thinking is possible. The Government’s old elimination
playbook of lock ‘em down and lock ‘em out will be destroyed by first contact with the enemy.Set new goals of minimising hospitalisation and death from Omicron by protecting the vulnerable, so strategies can be
judged against clear objectivesStart with an all-out sprint to ensure the most vulnerable receive boosters. Don’t count how many boosters are issued,
but how many of the over 65s and those with underlying conditions get boosted first, so the Booster program is as
effective as possibleEnsure home isolation for the vulnerable is ready to go, with whatever is necessary, including food, homecare and
oximeters, so those at greatest risk can be protected from infectionBalance supply chain continuity with reducing spread through clear rules for testing and isolation in the case of
infection, so society can functionCease nonsensical rules such as bans on citizens importing Rapid Antigen tests, start by allowing any of the 67
point-of-care tests approved by Australia’s TGA to be used in New Zealand immediately, so New Zealanders can take care
of their own healthBe clear that travellers entering New Zealand will not be forced to go through MIQ when likely hundreds of thousands in
New Zealand already have Omicron, so that those stranded overseas and those who depend on travel can finally have
clarityBe clear that schools will not be closed and, if the Government believes they will, then under what circumstances, so
parents can plan the year with some certainty about childcareBe clear about whether, and if so in what circumstances, the Government would revert to old school Alert Level lock
downs, so that businesses can have clarity about what they are likely to faceProduce robust modelling of what is expected from Omicron, including up-to-date reports of true hospital capacity and
how that capacity will deal with realistic omicron scenarios
“Above all, the Government must give clarity about its plan, learning from the experience of other countries who had
less time, and stick to it so all New Zealanders can be treated like adults and plan their futures.
"It is not good enough for the Government to say that it is 'keeping all options open,' meaning it will sacrifice any
other aspect of human welfare without notice. It needs to have a clear plan it is prepared to stick to.
“The Prime Minister has been virtually invisible for a month. In some ways that is understandable, but COVID doesn’t
observe Christmas. She must present a clear plan that addresses the issues above to give New Zealanders clarity this
afternoon.”