The Omicron variant of Covid-19 is now circulating within Auckland and possibly other parts of the country, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says, as New Zealand heads into the most stringent setting in the new 'traffic light' system
New Zealand is moving to the red setting of the Covid-19 ‘traffic light’ system from 11.59pm tonight, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced, with evidence the highly transmissible Omicron variant is circulating within Auckland if not other parts of the country.
Speaking at a hastily convened press conference on Sunday morning following an emergency Cabinet meeting, Ardern said nine Covid cases reported in Nelson-Marlborough the previous day had now been confirmed as the Omicron variant.
All nine cases were in a single family which had flown to Auckland on January 13 to attend a wedding and other events the weekend of January 15 to 16, with initial estimates suggesting there were well over 100 people at the various gatherings.
That cluster was linked to an Air New Zealand flight attendant who had tested positive for Covid after working on a flight from Auckland to Nelson – but most importantly, health officials had not yet identified an index case linking the family to the border, as it had managed to do with other Omicron cases to date.
“This means Omicron is now circulating in Auckland and possibly the Nelson-Marlborough region, if not elsewhere.”
Ardern said the Government's strategy was to slow down the spread of Omicron through the rollout of vaccine boosters – only 56 percent of those eligible for a booster shot have received one to date – and public health measures such as mask wearing and restrictions on gatherings, with the goal of keeping pressure off the health system and protecting those Kiwis at greatest risk.
“Given our low number of cases, we currently have significant capacity in our system to attempt to stamp out outbreaks and our teams are already hard at work to contain this one.”
Three-stage approach
The Government's planning for Omicron had been broken into three stages. The first, with up to 1000 cases a day, was likely to last a fortnight and would be dealt with through contact tracing, testing and isolation in a bid to "stamp out" broader transmission.
The second, transitional stage would see the health system move towards identifying those at the greatest risk of developing severe illness from Omicron, while the third and final stage would see daily case numbers in the thousands, with changes to contact tracing and isolation requirements.
Any rollout of rapid antigen tests would not need to happen until the latter two stages, while the Government remained focused on distributing N95 masks to workers in health settings rather than more broadly.
Updating the public on the Government’s plans for Omicron earlier in the week, Ardern confirmed the entire country would move the red setting within 24 to 48 hours of any community transmission being detected.
"We won't be able to stop Omicron entering the community, but we can use tools to try and slow it down," she said. "We need to be on guard, and ready.”
Overseas evidence had shown Omicron cases could grow from the hundreds into the thousands within as little as a fortnight, she said.
There are no lockdowns or regional boundaries under the red traffic light, with reduced gathering limits and tighter vaccine pass requirements the preferred approach.
Ardern said the Government intended for schools to return as planned, despite the roll-out of vaccines to five- to 11-year-olds still being in its early stages, with education officials having worked over the summer on additional measures to support the safe return of students.
It was important for people to have a neighbour or friend who could help out with delivering essentials if they were unwell and needed to isolate at home.
