The Government has managed to make an already-confusing situation for companies grappling with isolation rules even more baffling, National’s Covid-19 spokesperson Chris Bishop says.

“The ‘Close Contact Exemption Scheme’ developed in a hurry in the last two weeks because the Government didn’t do any work last year, is classic Labour.

“The Government is going to establish the most bureaucratic and tedious system imaginable for businesses to get their employees classified as ‘critical’ and therefore eligible to access rapid tests to get back to work if they are close contacts of Covid cases.

“Workers will have to have a Critical Services Register Letter, a Critical Worker Authorisation Letter, a workplace ID, personal ID, a text message confirming they are a close contact, and a RAT order number.

“All this bureaucracy for only a limited number of workers who are deemed ‘critical’. There will be probably be more bureaucrats administering the system than employees who can access it.

“The Government has got things entirely around the wrong way. Every business should be able to access rapid tests and every business should be able to have their employees who are close contacts use RATs to return to work, not just ones deemed ‘critical’ by the Government.

“The Government is yet again getting it wrong with rapid antigen tests. What they need to do is very clear - legalise all tests already approved in Australia, allow them to be sold in supermarkets and pharmacies, stop seizing tests ordered by the private sector, and allow any business to access them to get employees to return to work.”

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