![]() While it was normal for people with stomach flu, or gastroenteritis, to avoid swimming pools, he was unconvinced it was yet an established norm for people with respiratory illnesses to avoid workplaces, schools or indoor entertainment venues.Įmployers, schools, venue operators and others could agree to a code of practice whereby people were discouraged from attending places if they had symptoms of respiratory infections.Ĭovid-19 was still causing at least 5000 known cases a week, putting about 170 people in hospital and killing about 20 people a week, he said. University of Otago epidemiologist Prof Michael Baker said self-isolation had been a "critical measure" in the response to Covid-19 - and he wanted to know what might replace the mandate. "The worst of the flu season is probably behind us now, and Covid levels are relatively low, so it’s a reasonable thing to do at this stage." PHOTO: SUPPLIEDUniversity of Canterbury Covid-19 modeller Prof Michael Plank said, bearing in mind the range of infectious diseases about, increasingly it "doesn’t really make sense to single out Covid and treat it differently with legal mandates". "I think it probably reflects the reality about how many people have been acting anyway." He thought it was "an appropriate time" to step back from Covid restrictions. "It’s never going to go away, but it is now another respiratory virus that is circulating and it needs to be integrated into business-as-usual." University of Otago department of microbiology and immunology Prof James Ussher said through vaccination and infections there was significant population immunity at present and most people were well protected against serious outcomes from the disease.įor those who were at serious risk, highly effective anti-viral medications were available. The announcement was met with cautious optimism by the scientific community. In April, Cabinet reviewed the remaining Covid requirements and decided to keep them until the end of this month to help ease the pressure on hospitals during the onset of winter.ĭr Verrall said case numbers would continue to fluctuate, but there had not been the dramatic spikes seen in Covid-19 rates last year. Mr Hipkins said it was not a politically motivated decision, but one that had been signalled in autumn. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and Health Minister Dr Ayesha Verrall announced the changes yesterday, saying case numbers, wastewater detection and hospitalisations had been on their way down for the past couple of months. The seven-day mandatory isolation period and the requirement for face masks for visitors to healthcare facilities were both removed at midnight. The government has scrapped the last of New Zealand’s Covid-19 requirements from today, ending more than three years of emergency rules in response to the pandemic disease.
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