11. Question No. 11—COVID-19 ResponseCHRIS BISHOP (National) to the Minister for COVID-19 ResponseQuestion No. 11—COVID-19 Response11. CHRIS BISHOP (National) to the Minister for COVID-19 Response: Can he confirm reports that the Ministry of Health was unaware high-risk Air New Zealand crew were staying in a hotel in the Auckland CBD and that they only found out when it was reported in the media?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS (Minister for COVID-19 Response): Hello again. I can confirm that Air New Zealand and health authorities have been working closely together for some months to strengthen the arrangements around isolating Air New Zealand workers and part of those conversations were preparing for the facility in which they isolate to be relocated. That was part of a commercial negotiation between Air New Zealand and the hotel companies. I've been advised that that shift happened faster than the health officials had been anticipating and Air New Zealand had not informed them of the exact timing that that shift would happen though it was being anticipated. The health officials worked very quickly and closely with Air New Zealand to make sure that there was no risk to public health caused by that shift and as a result I'm very satisfied that the arrangements around isolating workers—isolating Air New Zealand air crew—continue to strengthen.Chris Bishop: Why when he's just stated that officials had been working very closely with Air New Zealand did the Ministry of Health not know that Air New Zealand crew were in the Auckland CBD?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: We were aware that the facility that Air New Zealand had been using the hotel that Air New Zealand had been using to isolate their workers—that hotel no longer wished to provide that service and so they were negotiating with a number of other hotels. As I indicated those negotiations concluded a little more quickly than the health officials had been anticipating.Chris Bishop: Does he agree with Professor Michael Baker that international air crew are one of the weakest points of our border and if so what is the Government doing about that?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: No I don't actually agree with that. This is something that I've been looking very closely at quite a lot over the last few months. We now have all of our layover crew—so crews from other airlines who come into New Zealand; they do their layovers in our managed isolation facilities. In terms of Air New Zealand crew we work very closely with Air New Zealand to make sure there is as low a risk as possible there. It depends of course on what roles people have. So flight crew who basically go into the cockpit they stay in the cockpit and they don't come into contact with passengers. There's a different risk profile for them than there is for those who are interacting with passengers—so the cabin crew for example. We work really closely with Air New Zealand around things like personal protective equipment around regular testing and I do want to acknowledge actually for those working for Air New Zealand on these international routes—who are performing a very important critical service for New Zealand—that they are being tested more frequently than just about anyone else in the world at this point. Some of them are having nasopharyngeal swabs taken more than once a day depending on the routes that they are flying so they are absolutely doing their bit to keep New Zealand safe.Chris Bishop: What action did he take as Minister when he found out that Air New Zealand staff were being able to run through the Auckland CBD as was reported in the media a week or so ago?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: As I indicated these conversations have been ongoing about the shift from one hotel facility to another and how we'd make sure that any shift is in keeping with the public health protection measures that we would expect. So the new facility that they are in—which is not the interim facility that they were in temporarily—has private gym arrangements for the staff. They've emptied out some rooms; they've put some gym equipment in them so that they can get their daily exercise—which is something we should encourage—without having to go out into the public.Chris Bishop: Point of order Mr Speaker. The question was about what actions the Minister took once he found out about that information and that didn't address that at all.SPEAKER: Well I think we heard that he had discussions with them.