7. Question No. 7—COVID-19 ResponseCHRIS BISHOP (National) to the Minister for COVID-19 ResponseQuestion No. 7—COVID-19 Response7. CHRIS BISHOP (National) to the Minister for COVID-19 Response: How many fully vaccinated people if any who have travelled from Australia have tested positive for COVID-19 since 23 August 2021 and is the Government still committed to allowing fully vaccinated New Zealand citizens and other eligible travellers to enter from Australia from 11.59 pm on 16 January 2022?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS (Minister for COVID-19 Response): I'm advised that between 23 August and 6 December 4883 travellers from Australia have completed stays in managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ). Three of these people tested positive. However none of them were vaccinated. I'd note that overall we had 132 cases amongst 31000 returnees since 23 August 79 of whom were fully vaccinated. In answer to the second part of the question yes. As we have done throughout the pandemic the Government will remain adaptable to the changing international situation and any emerging evidence around variants of concern including the Omicron variant. Officials will continue to regularly monitor Omicron and any other variants around the globe and Ministers will be available over the holiday period to receive advice on that. We remain committed to the time frames we announced under the Reconnecting New Zealanders plan including allowing fully vaccinated New Zealand citizens and other eligible travellers to enter from Australia from 11.59 p.m. on 16 January 2022.Chris Bishop: Will the Cabinet meeting next week consider a paper on allowing fully vaccinated New Zealanders in Australia to travel to New Zealand before Christmas without going into MIQ in light of the Minister's answer just now that there have been zero fully vaccinated travellers since 23 August who subsequently tested positive in New Zealand?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: No. One of the things that I would note for the member is that Omicron is in the community in Australia; it is not in the community here in New Zealand.Chris Bishop: Why can fully vaccinated Aucklanders leave Auckland from tomorrow and travel to all parts of New Zealand but fully vaccinated New Zealanders abroad cannot travel to their own country unless they win a slot in the MIQ lottery?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: As I've indicated to the member one of the things that we are monitoring very closely is new emerging variants including the Omicron variant which is not in New Zealand. It will make it to New Zealand at some point and at this stage it will be captured in our MIQ system.Chris Bishop: What is the public health rationale that prevents a fully vaccinated traveller in Queensland for example from coming to New Zealand a country with a full vaccination rate about to hit 90 percent and rising every day?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: I think the member misses what I've just been indicating. First of all we are wanting to ensure that we keep new variants of COVID-19 out of the community for as long as we can. We'll keep that under review. I note that states in Australia despite the more sweeping statements of the Federal Government in Australia continue to maintain quite significant border restrictions. The statements of the Australian Federal Government don't reflect the reality on the ground where border restrictions continue to be in place in many Australian states.Chris Bishop: What does he say to Victoria Hemmingson who obtained an emergency allocation spot in MIQ from Australia for the purpose of attending her brother's tangi only to be forced to watch the tangi via live stream after being denied early release from MIQ on the grounds she had to travel from Auckland to Christchurch?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: Ultimately my message to anyone who's been affected by the border restrictions is that we acknowledge the significant hardship that that can often cause. Nobody would by preference have these kinds of border restrictions in place. We all need to remember why we have those border restrictions in place and what New Zealand has been able to achieve over the last year and a half through those border restrictions which is the lowest case rate of COVID-19 in the OECD and the lowest rate of death in the OECD and our border restrictions have played a very big part in that. But I acknowledge and the whole Government acknowledges the significant personal cost that that has created for many people. In terms of the issues around exemptions Ministers do not make those decisions; those decisions are made by public health officials on public health grounds.