6. Question No. 6—COVID-19 ResponseBROOKE VAN VELDEN (Deputy Leader—ACT) to the Minister for COVID-19 ResponseQuestion No. 6—COVID-19 Response6. BROOKE VAN VELDEN (Deputy Leader—ACT) to the Minister for COVID-19 Response: Does he stand by all of the Government's statements and actions?Hon Dr AYESHA VERRALL (Associate Minister of Health) on behalf of the Minister for COVID-19 Response: Yes. In particular this Government's overall response to COVID-19 which has put the safety and interest of all New Zealanders squarely at its centre and has seen the historic delivery of over 10 million doses of the vaccine administered in a single year.Brooke van Velden: Why won't schools be eligible for the Close Contact Exemption Scheme and can he assure parents that there's going to be enough teachers available to teach at the peak of the Omicron outbreak given the seven-day isolation rules?Hon Dr AYESHA VERRALL: Schools are eligible for the Close Contact Exemption Scheme and advice from the Ministry of Education to schools reflects precisely that circumstance that the scheme is to be used in case there is a risk that staffing levels aren't adequate.Brooke van Velden: Has he asked the Minister of Education how many teachers are likely to have to isolate as close contacts at the peak of the Omicron outbreak and if so what was the outcome of that conversation?Hon Dr AYESHA VERRALL: This isn't quite as interesting as the question might have been had I also been answering on behalf of the Minister of Education. I am not aware of advice on that particular issue but I am aware of estimates from overseas where for example the United Kingdom that has very similar close-contact isolation requirements that we will at phase 3 has approximately 4 percent to 6 percent absentee rate due to self-isolation across a variety of sectors.Brooke van Velden: How bad will the shortages of teachers have to get before schools are allowed to become part of the Close Contact Exemption Scheme and not simply just in cases where critical workers' children are close contacts?Hon Dr AYESHA VERRALL: I believe I have addressed that in my answer to the earlier supplementary that in situations where attendance at school is compromised then that will be situations where the scheme could be activated by a school.Chris Baillie: How can he assure parents that their children will have teachers to teach when nine teachers at a Nelson school are needing to self-isolate after one student tested positive?Hon Dr AYESHA VERRALL: I'm not aware of the particulars of that particular contact tracing exercise but what I can say is that the definitions of contacts have changed now that we are in phase 2 and they will even further at phase 3. This is to enable important services to continue to operate. In addition schools have access to the Close Contact Exemption Scheme.Brooke van Velden: Why does he not believe teachers are critical workers and is it the case that schools are not part of the Close Contact Exemption Scheme excluding simply in the case of critical workers' children because the Government has created a shortage of rapid antigen tests?Hon Dr AYESHA VERRALL: I reject the premise of that question. There is a shortage of rapid antigen tests because the Omicron variant has created a worldwide shortage in the supply of them. I believe I have addressed the question about whether schools are critical workers three times in my preceding answer.