6. Question No. 6—COVID-19 ResponseDAVID SEYMOUR (Leader—ACT) to the Minister for COVID-19 ResponseQuestion No. 6—COVID-19 Response6. DAVID SEYMOUR (Leader—ACT) to the Minister for COVID-19 Response: Is he satisfied with the operation of the COVID-19 Public Health Response (Alert Level Requirements) Order (No 9) 2021?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS (Minister for COVID-19 Response): Overall yes. Like all aspects of the response to this outbreak the recent order that I signed two weeks ago was established to prevent and limit the risk of outbreak or spread of COVID-19 with the overall goal of keeping New Zealanders safe. I note that in the last two weeks we have made a number of amendments to the order where it's been necessary to respond to the needs of people while managing the risk posed by COVID-19. I accept that there will always be opportunities however for improvements acknowledging that our approach to COVID-19 has been one that's been purposefully built to be adaptable to change when that is required.David Seymour: Does the Minister know how many new infections have been transmitted between bubbles under this order in the last two weeks of level 4?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: No I don't have an accurate estimate of that at this present time. That is one of the things that our contact tracers will identify as they continue to work their way through case investigations but the key priority for our case investigators—and I think this is very very important—is to limit the onwards spread. So they need to be forward-looking in their case investigations first and then of course they will look to provide us with other insights and information as it's possible to do that.David Seymour: How many cases of transmission between bubbles under alert level 4 in the last few weeks is he aware of that have been confirmed?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: I don't have that number. What I can tell the member in terms of the numbers that I do have is that with each new case that's identified each day we're seeing that the number of new locations of interest that those cases are throwing up is getting down to a very very small number which suggests that it is existing exposure events that are being identified—further cases flowing from existing exposure events—rather than new exposure events. That is encouraging. We still do see in some of the new cases coming forward each day exposure that pre-dates the level 4 lockdown and I think that's significant. We're seeing an increase in the number of cases that are within a household bubble—within an existing household bubble—with no contacts outside of that household bubble. As I indicated to the member earlier we have around 100 essential workers who have been infected—I think 107 was the most recent number that I was given. Within that we've only seen four potential exposure events within the workplace that have flowed from those things. So again that is encouraging. Four is four too many but that is a relatively low number relative to the 107 essential workers that have been identified as testing positive.David Seymour: How can he be satisfied that the current alert level 4 orders are working if he doesn't know how many inter-bubble transmission cases there have been and the whole point of a level 4 is for people to remain within their bubbles to the extent possible?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: Perhaps if we were doing this via Zoom rather than with all the distractions of the parliamentary debating chamber the member might have listened to my previous answer where I addressed that.David Seymour: Why does it make sense for people to drive past their beloved butcher who is going broke in order to stand in a queue with many other people at a supermarket?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: Other New Zealanders those who are not in this debating chamber are being asked to limit their movements which is absolutely essential.