Podcasts about health minister chris hipkins

Health officials are still racing to work out how a Sydney man caught Covid-19 amid concerns there are chains of transmission that continue to go "unrecognised" in the city."(The local case's) contact with the infectious person must have been very fleeting," chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant told reporters on Monday."We are concerned there are chains of transmission in the community that are unrecognised."We're not out of the risk period."Chant said the missing link between a returned US traveller and the man from Sydney's eastern suburbs had still not been found as of Monday morning.The man in his 50s and his wife tested positive to Covid-19 last week.Neither have links with hotel quarantine, border control or healthcare, sparking concerns about how he caught the disease.Health officials fear someone may have been unknowingly infectious and going about their business in the community.NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian agreed the man's contact with an infected person must have been brief.She said authorities have combed CCTV and spoken to "lots of people" to try and determine how he caught it, with the man even detailing the roads he had walked along to contact tracers."The concern is, if it's one or multiple people, who are those missing links it was a very fleeting meeting," Berejiklian told reporters."That suggests there could be a high level of contagion."New Zealand reopened its travel bubble with New South Wales overnight, with Health Minister Chris Hipkins saying earlier that he was " pleased with the way the response process has been managed".Hipkins said there was some specific advice for travellers to be aware of. This included:Anyone who is in Australia and was at any of the locations of interest at the times specified is asked to follow NSW health advice regarding isolation and testing and must not travel to New Zealand within 14 days from when they were at the location.As before, anyone who has arrived in New Zealand and who was at a location of interest at the specified time must self-isolate immediately and call Healthline for information on when they should be tested."Our officials remain in close contact with health officials in NSW and will continue to closely monitor the situation. Updates will be provided if there is any change to this latest advice," Hipkins said.- text by news.com.au. Additional reporting, NZ Herald

Fear of another community covid outbreak has put pubs and restaurants on high alert for Labour weekend. Hundreds of Aucklanders queued for hours to get tested yesterday after a covid positive person visited a busy pub in Greenhithe. The Director General of Health, Dr Ashley Bloomfield, wants people back in the habit of using the Covid tracer app while Health Minister Chris Hipkins is looking again at mask wearing in public places. Bars, savaged by the impact of lockdown, are urging people to be more vigilant about the threat of Covid-19. RNZ's Chen Liu reports from Auckland - a city that exited Alert Level 2 just two weeks ago.

Health Minister Chris Hipkins says the next planeload of fishing crews - which was due to arrive on the second of November - will now need to be delayed. Eighteen passengers from the first load of fishing crews have tested positive for Covid-19 so far. Corin Dann asked him about the situation at the Sudima Hotel in Christchurch.

Aucklanders who were at a packed North Shore pub on Friday night are being told to stay home, and get a Covid-19 test as soon as possible. It has emerged that a person who's one of the two new community cases visited the pub the Malt pub in Greenhithe between 7.30pm and 10pm on Friday evening while they were unknowingly infectious. Both are colleagues of the port worker who tested postive for Covid-19 last week. Health officials are urging anyone who was at the Malt on Friday night to immediately self-isolate, get tested and stay in isolation until they receive a negative result. Health Minister Chris Hipkins speaks to Corin Dann.

Health Minister Chris Hipkins says the Government is looking at countries that Kiwis would be able to travel to despite the ongoing pandemic, without having to isolate on return. Hipkins told Morning Report the areas with no community transmission of the disease could be designated a safe travel zone.  "Australia obviously has some states which are in that position, [there are] a lot of countries in the Pacific which are in that position." [audio_play] There is also ongoing work to look into what to do with people who arrive from countries with large Covid-19 outbreaks. Ten cases were picked up in managed isolation last week, all linked to a single flight from India. On Tuesday, the Prime Minister told Morning Report people returning from countries deemed high risk may soon have extra precautions. Hipkins said on Thursday the government is looking into what to do once people leave isolation. "One of the things that the technical advisory group, so this is all the scientists and you know the experts, are looking at at the moment, is whether there should as an extra safeguard be some follow up after that 14 days. "So that's a week after you leave quarantine should you then have another test just to make sure that you're not in a very, very small minority of people who can potentially cultivate it for more than 14 days."

It has been revealed that New Zealand's first Covid-19 infection was actually a week earlier than previously thought. The Ministry of Health originally recorded our first case of the virus as a returned traveller from Iran back on February 28 but today it revealed the virus was actually in the community a week earlier on February 21. The new index case has come about after a Waikato family was visited by a family member from Italy. The visitor was sick and five members of the household became ill shortly after but none were tested because Italy wasn't a country of concern at the time. The case has only come to light after a male member of the household recently had a sore throat, got a Covid-19 test and produced a weak-positive result indicating an old infection. That means six old cases were added to New Zealand's Covid-19 tally along with three new community cases from today. Those cases are all linked to a man who had left managed isolation in Christchurch after a flight from India via Fiji on August 26. That man flew home to Auckland from Christchurch on September 11 and tested positive five days later despite two previous negative tests on day three and day twelve. Health Minister Chris Hipkins talks to Lisa Owen.

Tomorrow, Cabinet will reveal its decision on whether the country's Covid-19 Alert Levels can change on Wednesday.The Auckland region is at Level 2.5, while the rest of the country sits at Level Two.Newstalk ZB political reporter Aaron Dahmen told Francesca Rudkin the big question for Cabinet remains around the Auckland sub-cluster, sparked after an infectious church member visited a bereaved family in Level Three."Cabinet has to take into account how big the outbreak is, and whether there are unknown sources."There are still a lot of things we don't know about the Auckland sub-cluster."Health Minister Chris Hipkins has made it clear Auckland could move to Alert Level One without complete elimination of the virus.LISTEN ABOVE

Health Minister Chris Hipkins says it has become apparent some close contacts of the Mt Roskill Evangelical Fellowship church sub-cluster were not previously disclosed. A student at St Dominic's Catholic College in Auckland has tested positive for Covid-19, and has been linked to the sub-cluster. The student was last at school on Friday but left early after starting to feel unwell. The school will close for at least three days and the Ministry of Education are working to identify close contacts of the case. Hipkins said in this case it appears that it was a close contact of the sub-cluster that had not been previously disclosed. The authorities are now looking into whether that was on purpose. "That's one of the things that the investigation is looking at now and it will include looking at whether there was a deliberate decision not to disclose, or whether it was simply an oversight," Hipkins said. He said this sub-cluster has been a challenge to work with as some members do not under the seriousness of the situation. "There are certainly some within the cluster that perhaps don't accept or haven't previously accepted the science involved here." They are now being educated on the gravity of the situation now though. "It would certainly appear that they were skeptical at the beginning," Hipkins said. "I think that a lot of work has been done with them since then." Hipkins said parents should still feel confident sending their children to school though "Clearly there's been one or two cases where the contact tracing system hasn't identified them, but they were picked up by testing instead. "So, the backstop of wide testing is picking up the extra cases so parents can have confidence that outside of the schools that have been identified there aren't extra cases that aren't disclosed."

Microbiologist Siouxsie Wiles says its not surprising people sceptical of Covid-19 have become caught up in a cluster in NZ. The Health Minister Chris Hipkins has asked for police help to ensure the cluster centred on the Mt Roskill Evangelical Fellowship Church group cooperates over Covid-19. This after a student at St Dominic's Catholic College in West Auckland became the latest person to test positive for Covid-19. The student, who is linked to the Mt Roskill sub cluster, was last at school on Friday but left early after starting to feel unwell. Chris Hipkins says some of the members of the group haven't understood the science of Covid-19 Auckland. University microbiologist Siouxsie Wiles speaks to Susie Ferguson.

A call for a stricter approach to what Aucklanders can and can't do when they leave the region, rather than relying on trust.Health Minister Chris Hipkins is asking them to pretend they're still in Auckland when travelling around the country, by doing things like not attending gatherings of more than 10 people.However, former health unionist Ian Powell told Tim Dower Covid-19 is highly contagious and many people don't get symptoms."There's a tremendous multiplier effect. It only takes a small margin of error, a bit of bad luck, and the whole thing can escalate."Powell says we have to confine Covid-19 to Auckland, and stop it spreading elsewhere.LISTEN ABOVE

It is back to basics with the government's latest Covid-19 tracking tool - a paper pamphlet to be used by anyone who does not have a smartphone. More than two million people have downloaded the NZ COVID Tracer app, but the number of daily scans indicate it is far from tracking every movement. Minister of Health Chris Hipkins talks to Lisa Owen.

It is back to basics with the government's latest Covid-19 tracking tool - a paper pamphlet to be used by anyone who does not have a smartphone. More than two million people have downloaded the NZ COVID Tracer app, but the number of daily scans indicate it is far from tracking every movement. The government hopes old-fashioned pen and paper can provide further backup to map any future outbreaks. "If you don't have a smart phone I am very pleased to tell you that we are now producing a little booklet that you can use," Health Minister Chris Hipkins said at the Covid-19 media briefing on Wednesday.

There are concerns about the possibility of Covid-19 cases being undetected in Auckland - as the region prepares to move down alert levels tonight.An important alert's been issued for all South and West Aucklanders to take a Covid test - even if they don't have symptoms.Auckland University Professor Shaun Hendy says if people are still testing positive, without a clear connection to the Auckland cluster, a move to level 2 is risky.He says the concern is that there are people out there with Covic-19 who haven't been found through contact tracing, and are unknowingly spreading it.However, Health Minister Chris Hipkins confirmed this morning that the country is "ploughing ahead" with the move.He says the move to level 2 would be more like a move to a level 2.5.That would be mean more of an emphasis on masks being worn in public places, as well as limits on social gathering numbers. Masks will be mandatory on public transport.Listen above as Irene Gardiner and Simon Wilson discuss the move with Francesca Rudkin on the Sunday Panel

Infectious diseases expert Professor Michael Baker says he is optimistic there will be a Covid-19 vaccine within a year.However, the epidemiologist says the vaccine might only be short-lived and people could be required to get a new shot every year, like the flu vaccine.Speaking to Simon Barnett and Phil Gifford Afternoons on Newstalk ZB, Baker also took aim at people saying Covid-19 isn't as bad as the flu.LISTEN ABOVE"Influenza typically kills about 500 people every winter in New Zealand, this [Covid-19] would be 15,000 dying in one year," he said."And that's how it's playing out around the globe at the moment. It still has the potential to kill 20 million across the globe in the next two years."It really is a very severe threat; the people who survive, many of them actually have severe long-term effects, so this is not a minor pandemic at all."However, there is currently evidence a vaccine will work for most people for "at least some time" which Baker is excited about."The vaccine is still very encouraging and I'd be fairly optimistic that within a year we have a vaccine that at least helps somewhat," he said.It comes after five new cases of Covid-19 were announced in New Zealand today, as well as a potential "mini-cluster".There are three new community cases, one of which is under investigation.Auckland is in alert level 3 until 11.59pm on Sunday, when it will move to a tighter level 2 alongside the rest of the country.QR codes will be mandatory on most forms of public transport from Monday, the same day it will be compulsory to wear face masks on public transport.Health Minister Chris Hipkins said today the actions will provide an extra layer of assurance and speed for contact tracing in the future.Elsewhere, Baker said if everyone wore face masks on flights, then airlines could sell every seat and social distancing wouldn't be required."I think at level 2 it's a very reasonable approach to fill up those empty seats and that is one of the benefits of wearing masks," he said."Social distancing is still very important but the reason we have it is to avoid sharing our respiratory droplets … that's how the virus gets from one person to another."If everyone is wearing masks the whole time, I think the evidence is pretty strong that you can fill up buses and planes and so on."Asked whether homemade masks were safe, Baker said something is better than nothing and recommended people use fabric masks.He encouraged people to use reusable fabric masks because they were cheaper in the long run and they don't produce the same amount of waste as single-use masks. 

As the government races to test 70,000 people in seven days, GPs are warning it must get community testing back on track long-term. Nearly 200,000 people have been swabbed since the latest outbreak but, before that, the government had struggled with numbers. As the country moves into its third week at Alert Level 2 and 3, Health Minister Chris Hipkins is again warning of testing fatigue. Health correspondent Rowan Quinn reports.

Cabinet has decided on extending restrictions following the latest community outbreak of Covid-19. Auckland will remain under level 3 restrictions for an extra four days, until midnight Sunday. The rest of New Zealand will remain at level 2 until at least Sunday, September 6, to be reviewed before that date. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says the extra time is needed to be confident the Auckland cluster is under control. She said from midnight Sunday, schools, hospitality, retail and other businesses in Auckland that can operate under level two can open. But there will still be a 10-person limit on gatherings, with an exception of up to 50 people for tangihanga and funerals. In a new move, from Monday, wearing masks on public transport will be compulsory under level 2, or higher, anywhere in the country. Health Minister Chris Hipkins joins Lisa Owen to discuss the details.

Health officials have yet to confirm whether a third strain of the coronavirus could be circulating in the community, with two cases still under investigation. The Director General of Health says officials now believe one of them - a maintenance worker at an Auckland isolation hotel, may have got the virus from a contaminated lift button. Dr Ashley Bloomfield says the other person with no clear link to the main cluster, visited St Luke's Mall in Auckland last Wednesday. Dr Bloomfield confirmed five new cases of Covid-19 today, all of them connected with the main south Auckland cluster- meaning the country has 101 active cases. Health Minister Chris Hipkins joins Lisa Owen to discuss the latest details.

New Zealand Rugby is not in line for any special treatment to ensure its North-South match goes ahead next weekend. Health Minister Chris Hipkins says it's unlikely 13 Auckland-based players will be granted exemptions to travel to Wellington, if Auckland stays in alert level three, and the match moves to the capital. Clay Wilson reports.

A special type of blood test could give vital clues as to how an isolation hotel maintenance worker got covid 19, We'll put this new recommendation from scientists to the Health Minister Chris Hipkins, and Police are scrambling to ease pressure at the checkpoints around Auckland. We will talk to a police assistant commissioner about what they're doing

Health Minister Chris Hipkins is facing a puzzle trying to work out how Covid-19 made its way back into the community in Auckland. First a group of four tested positive with no link to international travel or the border, then a maintenance worker tested positive for the virus, without ever having met the person he supposedly caught it off. But does Hipkins support serology testing to help with tracing? He speaks to Susie Ferguson.

All but two of the parties in Parliament have called for a change to the election date in the wake of a resurgence of Covid-19 in the community. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is due to announce a decision on the date at 10am on Monday. Health Minister Chris Hipkins speaks to Corin Dann ahead of the announcement.

The Chief Censor says New Zealand has an opportunity to be world leading in fighting back against Covid-19 misinformation on-line. Nasty rumours, inaccurate advice and bullying has been circulating through social media following the second wave of infections throughout Auckland. The Health Minister Chris Hipkins gave those responsible a serve at the 1pm briefing on Sunday, but what more can be done starve the online world of 'fake news'. Charlotte Cook reports.

We cross live to Health Minister Chris Hipkins for the very latest on our Covid-19 second-wave. Opposition leader Judith Collins with her reaction to the new plan, thoughts on her party’s conduct this week - and the election date debate. Plus what does the second wave mean for our financial survival? We speak to economist Brad Olsen and a devastated business owner. Scientist Dr Jemma Geoghegan on the genome project that could unlock the mystery behind our latest cluster And epidemiologist, Professor David Murdoch on the likelihood of undiscovered community transmission - and whether elimination remains a realistic goal. Plus, analysis as always from our political panel - this week, former Act Party Deputy Leader Heather Roy and former Labour Party President Mike Williams. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Health Minister Chris Hipkins.

Epidemiologist Sir David Skegg told us the lack of testing of border staff was extraordinary. At the start of last week, two-thirds of the nearly 3000 border staff had never been tested for Covid-19. Sir David says he already thought the low testing targets were inadequate, but the reality is worse. Health Minister Chris Hipkins speaks to Kim Hill.

As New Zealand marked 100 days without community transmission of Covid-19, National Party deputy leader Gerry Brownlee says the Government's warning of an approaching second wave is "very puzzling".The Ministry of Health announced the milestone on Sunday, with no further new cases in of the deadly virus reported for the fourth consecutive day.There remain 23 active cases of coronavirus nationally, all in managed isolation facilities, while the number of New Zealand's confirmed cases remains at 1219.Director general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield thanked every person who had been tested for Covid-19, saying Sunday marked a "significant milestone"."However, as we all know, we can't afford to be complacent," he said in a statement."We have seen overseas how quickly the virus can re-emerge and spread in places where it was previously under control, and we need to be prepared to quickly stamp out any future cases in New Zealand. Every person in the team of five million has a role to play in this."But Brownlee told Newstalk ZB the Government's warning of an imminent second wave of Covid-19 in New Zealand was "puzzling"."People have made a big effort on this and they expect to get all the relative freedom," he said."None of us are complacent about it, I believe, it is something that is going to be with the world from this point on."In recent days Bloomfield urged Kiwis to "be ready" and have a stock of masks on hand in household emergency kits should we see an outbreak similar to the one sweeping through Victoria.Health Minister Chris Hipkins last week announced Kiwis would be encouraged to wear masks in public places if New Zealand moved back to level 2, and encouraged them to prepare some in the meantime.And public health expert Michael Baker suggested a mask day – in which New Zealanders all wear masks to work, as a trial run for a time when Covid might return.The advice comes after months of officials saying there was not yet enough evidence that mask use protected the public from Covid-19.Hipkins said the evidence had changed, and that "we are now in a different situation to where we were previously".After renewed warnings from Bloomfield in the last week about a potential outbreak, Brownlee called on the Government to "come clean" on the rate of Covid-19 infections in New Zealand."We have had three months of no community transmission, then inexplicably, the director-general of health Ashley Bloomfield tells the nation that a second wave was a likely prospect," he said in a statement."It doesn't add up. Why announce this now when there are few cases?"But surges of Covid-19 have been seen recently in Victoria, Hong Kong and Vietnam - all regions which had previously kept the virus contained.On Sunday Victoria recorded the highest number of people to die in a single day in Australia since the pandemic began - 17 people, with another 394 infections announced.Of the new cases announced, 43 people were in intensive care, and 26 were on ventilators.Meanwhile on the heels of the National Party's list release, Brownlee said he believed National MP Alfred Ngaro could beat Labour's Phil Twyford to return to Parliament.Ngaro, who dropped 10 places on the list to Number 30, will almost certainly have to oust Twyford in Te Atatu to return."I think he can win that seat," he told Newstalk ZB."You're up against Phil Twyford, who, despite being the architect of much of the non-delivered policies from Labour – KiwiBuild and light rail, etc - is number four, so he's going to be in Parliament anyway."He is also confident that Christoper Luxon, who is at number 61, can win his seat of Botany. 

As New Zealand marked 100 days without community transmission of Covid-19, National Party deputy leader Gerry Brownlee says the Government's warning of an approaching second wave is "very puzzling".The Ministry of Health announced the milestone on Sunday, with no further new cases in of the deadly virus reported for the fourth consecutive day.There remain 23 active cases of coronavirus nationally, all in managed isolation facilities, while the number of New Zealand's confirmed cases remains at 1219.Director general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield thanked every person who had been tested for Covid-19, saying Sunday marked a "significant milestone"."However, as we all know, we can't afford to be complacent," he said in a statement."We have seen overseas how quickly the virus can re-emerge and spread in places where it was previously under control, and we need to be prepared to quickly stamp out any future cases in New Zealand. Every person in the team of five million has a role to play in this."But Brownlee told Newstalk ZB the Government's warning of an imminent second wave of Covid-19 in New Zealand was "puzzling"."People have made a big effort on this and they expect to get all the relative freedom," he said."None of us are complacent about it, I believe, it is something that is going to be with the world from this point on."In recent days Bloomfield urged Kiwis to "be ready" and have a stock of masks on hand in household emergency kits should we see an outbreak similar to the one sweeping through Victoria.Health Minister Chris Hipkins last week announced Kiwis would be encouraged to wear masks in public places if New Zealand moved back to level 2, and encouraged them to prepare some in the meantime.And public health expert Michael Baker suggested a mask day – in which New Zealanders all wear masks to work, as a trial run for a time when Covid might return.The advice comes after months of officials saying there was not yet enough evidence that mask use protected the public from Covid-19.Hipkins said the evidence had changed, and that "we are now in a different situation to where we were previously".After renewed warnings from Bloomfield in the last week about a potential outbreak, Brownlee called on the Government to "come clean" on the rate of Covid-19 infections in New Zealand."We have had three months of no community transmission, then inexplicably, the director-general of health Ashley Bloomfield tells the nation that a second wave was a likely prospect," he said in a statement."It doesn't add up. Why announce this now when there are few cases?"But surges of Covid-19 have been seen recently in Victoria, Hong Kong and Vietnam - all regions which had previously kept the virus contained.On Sunday Victoria recorded the highest number of people to die in a single day in Australia since the pandemic began - 17 people, with another 394 infections announced.Of the new cases announced, 43 people were in intensive care, and 26 were on ventilators.Meanwhile on the heels of the National Party's list release, Brownlee said he believed National MP Alfred Ngaro could beat Labour's Phil Twyford to return to Parliament.Ngaro, who dropped 10 places on the list to Number 30, will almost certainly have to oust Twyford in Te Atatu to return."I think he can win that seat," he told Newstalk ZB."You're up against Phil Twyford, who, despite being the architect of much of the non-delivered policies from Labour – KiwiBuild and light rail, etc - is number four, so he's going to be in Parliament anyway."He is also confident that Christoper Luxon, who is at number 61, can win his seat of Botany. 

A psychologist says the government will have a tough time convincing people to use the Covid tracing app while there's no community transmission. The Health Minister Chris Hipkins is urging people to keep using the app, and says constant vigilance is a small price to pay to continue to be the envy of the world. A clinical psychologist at Victoria University, Dougal Sutherland, told RNZ reporter Jordan Bond that for most people there's not a strong incentive to use the app.

COMMENTWe got a high five yesterday from the World Health Organisation for our handling of the Covid-19 response.Us, alongside other countries such as Cambodia, Rwanda, Thailand, Vietnam and islands in the Pacific and Caribbean.But the praise lavished on us came with a caveat: we need to be realistic about our borders. We can't keep them shut forever.Our stringent measures have shut us off from the rest of the world, which may well feel cushy while we're sitting here watching cases spike in other places. But it's not viable.Not economically, not realistically, it's just not workable.WHO's executive director of the health emergencies programme, Dr Michael Ryan, said this week that "international travel bans aren't sustainable in the long term". He said it was "almost impossible for individual countries to keep their borders shut for the foreseeable future, economies have to open up, people have to work, trade has to resume".So given that, what are we doing?Well not as much as we should be. We need to be doing a hell of a lot more. And potentially at a quicker pace than we are.Remember the trio of Sir Peter Gluckman, Helen Clark and Rob Fyfe back in early July singing from the same songsheet that we needed to have a strategy in place to gradually open the borders?Sir Peter said we cannot keep the borders closed indefinitely and we need to actively be working towards opening them. Our former prime minister and the former Air NZ chief agreed, saying the Government needed a "swift pivot" to move beyond elimination as a strategy - to look to low risk countries getting access for a start.So, accepting there'll be human failures and that no border is foolproof, we also need to understand our risk is very low. If our border is tight, our ability to contain it and to trace any cases, will protect us.We can't stay in total isolation just waiting for a vaccine.The Government has tended to dodge giving any hard and fast answers on when and how the borders may open back up.But businesses need a plan; the international student sector including universities need a plan; the travel and tourism sector needs a plan. We can't fly blind. Even a gradual roll out plan would help.Health Minister Chris Hipkins has talked about being cautious. Understandably the Government doesn't want to squander our gains. What we need however is some light at the end of the tunnel. We need to know there is a plan and a strategy in place that's actively being worked on to open us back up for business. That we haven't just shut up shop to sit around waiting for a vaccine.Gluckman, Clark and Fyfe have been pushing for it, the WHO also now says we need to do it. Let's hope the Government is listening.

The Government's being urged to hurry up its decision on whether to replace its Covid tracing ap with an automated Covid Card.Use of the phone ap has dropped significantly, with Health Minister Chris Hipkins repeatedly urging the public to keep using it during his press conferences. Trade Me founder Sam Morgan is pushing for the credit card-sized Bluetooth device - which detects all close contacts and stores them securely for 21 days.University of Otago's Department of Public Health Professor Nick Wilson says automated systems ensure better uptake.He told Francesca Rudkin this is not a time for the Government to relax."We need every state of the art back up system so that we can respond rapidly to any border control failure."We really shouldn't be wasting any time."Wilson says nearly every expert around the world has been critical of the New Zealand app, but a card is a good idea."We need systems that are highly automated so that people don't have to do anything, and that reduces the risk that there won't be enough uptake."A decision is needed quickly on the Covid Card, Wilson says, and if it's approved, it should be fast-tracked.

24/7 police presence at every one of the quarantine and managed isolation facilities was announced by Air Commodore Webb and Cabinet Minister Megan Woods on Tuesday.My first thought early this week was - really? Is this the best use of our police force? We have a defence force, we have aviation security, we have security companies on the job – surely we could beef up these numbers, before we take police off the street to stand guard at the front of a hotel.I know, only police have the right to stop and restrain someone leaving quarantine and managed isolation facilities, people are staying in hotels not prisons after all. But the question is - is one police officer stationed at each of these large complexes going to make a big difference?  I tended to agree with Police Association president Chris Cahill who criticised the Government's decision to have a permanent police presence at all New Zealand quarantine facilities. It was a waste of police resources and not policing, Cahill said.I couldn't help but think it was a purely a move to reassure the public. An act to say, don't worry – we don't want to end up like Victoria either – we're onto it.I thought there must be other ways to show we mean business about quarantining rules? The more swiftly we charge the absconders and apply harsh punishment the better I say. That might knock some sense into Kiwi's repatriating.But as the daily news came through last week, I began to change my mind.Yesterday we found out that another gentleman had absconded from quarantine in Auckland. This was after another idiot wandered off to grab some beers and a pinot on Thursday. Police were also required to arrested a man at an Auckland Covid-19 isolation hotel after allegedly becoming abusive at staff on Friday.  Hotel staff don't deserve to be abused, and reports of people in quarantine receiving flack from the general public isn't on either. Maybe a police presence can keep everyone's behaviour in check.What we don't want to do it turn this into an ‘us and them' situation. Let's remember that the majority of New Zealanders being repatriated are behaving themselves perfectly, and many of them are also dealing with difficult, stressful family situations.And that I think the idea of making those in quarantine wear electronic bracelets – a suggestion that Health Minister Chris Hipkins is open to – is not cool. Maybe slap them on those caught trying to leave or who do successful abscond, but otherwise it just feels wrong.But give me another week, and if it's filled with stories about idiots jumping the fence, I will probably be volunteering to throw the bracelets on new arrivals myself.Because in the end, I'm up for doing whatever is necessary to avoid community transmission, another lockdown, and more importantly, homeschooling. Quite how far I'll be prepared to go will depend on the behaviour of all of those in lockdown.

The hunt is on to find the person responsible for a massive Covid-19 privacy breach, with the government promising to leave no stone unturned. The investigation - into the leak of highly sensitive and personal information of people who've tested positive - was called at the weekend by an "angry" State Services Minister, and new Health Minister Chris Hipkins. The terms of reference could be set as early as this afternoon with senior officials meeting to decide where to from here. Here's RNZ political editor, Jane Patterson.