8. Question No. 8—COVID-19 ResponseCHRIS BISHOP (National) to the Minister for COVID-19 ResponseQuestion No. 8—COVID-19 Response8. CHRIS BISHOP (National) to the Minister for COVID-19 Response: How many fully vaccinated people have tested positive in managed isolation and quarantine since 23 August 2021 on day 8 or later and how many people have completed stays in managed isolation and quarantine since 23 August 2021?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS (Minister for COVID-19 Response): I'm advised that four fully vaccinated people have tested positive on day eight or later in managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ) since 23 August—24124 people have been through MIQ during that time. While that number is small it still signifies the risk that exists in overseas returnees. It also highlights the rationale for introducing a period of home isolation to mitigate the risk of transmission after someone's seven-day stay.SPEAKER: I'm just going to remind the visitor from Auckland to put her mask back on.Chris Bishop: Why are over 2350 people with COVID or close contacts of people with COVID allowed to isolate at home in Auckland while fully vaccinated travellers from overseas without COVID are forced to spend 14 days in MIQ?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: They won't be forced to spend 14 days in MIQ; they'll be doing seven days so those who have been arriving in MIQ this week will in fact only be doing seven days in MIQ and they will then do three days of isolation at home.Chris Bishop: Why do fully vaccinated travellers to New Zealand have to wait until quarter one in 2022 for MIQ to not be required for people who enter New Zealand when the risk is as he's just demonstrated very low already?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: I don't think the member can take that inference from the numbers that I've just given. One of the things that he needs to factor in is that this is across a relatively small number of people and actually when we do move to self-isolation by default the level of movement at the New Zealand border—the international border—is likely to be significantly higher than it is at the moment. It's also important to note that we do not have COVID-19 spreading in the community outside of Auckland Waikato and a small part of Northland. When we do allow people to come in and isolate at home anywhere in New Zealand then that will mean that at that point there will be COVID-19 out in the New Zealand community uncontrolled.Chris Bishop: Does the Government have an analytical framework or set of criteria for when it may allow fully vaccinated travellers to come home to New Zealand and skip MIQ before the end of this year?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: What we've indicated is that our priority at this point is to move New Zealand on to the traffic light framework to get that bedded in and to recognise the fact that that is going to result in a spread of COVID-19 outside of Auckland and outside of the Waikato and we want to make sure that we are controlling an increase in the number of COVID cases as much as possible. Once we have done that then our next priority will be the international border and that will be in the first quarter of next year.Chris Bishop: What does he say to the 80000 people who have now signed a petition to end MIQ forthwith who represent the tens of thousands of New Zealanders keen to travel home without going through the MIQ lottery system?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: I acknowledge that in a global pandemic many people have been separated from their families and the people that they care about that we want to be able to remove the international restrictions as soon as we can but that we want to do that in a way that is safe and we want to manage our next phase of our COVID response such that New Zealand doesn't end up with a large uncontrolled outbreak of COVID-19 that could have a significant impact on the very loved ones that they want to come and see.