The Government has slashed the isolation period for COVID-19 cases and household contacts to a week, down from the previous 10 days.
COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said on Wednesday the change, coming into effect at 11:59pm on Friday, is necessary because the current 10 day isolation requirement "is having a wider impact on many parts of our lives".
"There needs to be a balance between effectively controlling the outbreak and the flow-on effect for business and essential goods and services such as transport and food supply," Hipkins said.
"The most up to date public health advice is that there is a decline in infectiousness of Omicron over time, and that in most cases transmission occurs within seven days.
"Our primary objective is to stop the chain of transmission as much as possible to manage the spread of Omicron. Seven days isolation will break the vast majority of potential transmissions, while ensuring people can get back to work quicker and therefore reducing the impact on business operations."
It now matches the isolation period for international arrivals.
Household contacts will still need to have a rapid antigen test (RAT) at day three and day seven of their isolation period. If they become symptomatic they should also get a test, and if the result is positive, they are required to be isolated for seven days from that point.
If a person is isolating and still has symptoms after seven days, they are advised to stay home until 24 hours after symptoms resolve.
"I urge everyone to make sure they report their rapid antigen test result on My Covid Record, even if it is negative, so we can understand transmission within households and how the outbreak is spreading through communities," Hipkins said.
"The reduction in the isolation period follows similar changes overseas and increasing evidence that people are most likely to transmit the virus earlier in their infectious period. This evidence also shows that the risk of reinfection within the first three months after someone has Omicron is very low."
For this reason, Hipkins said, recovered cases will no longer need to self-isolate if they become a household contact within 90 days after having the virus. This is an increase from the current 28 days.
Hipkins also confirmed that 250,000 Novavax vaccine doses are now available.
"Novavax will be available for people aged over 18. It requires two doses, with a three week gap. It has not been approved as a booster dose," Hipkins said.
"While the Pfizer vaccine remains the preferred COVID-19 vaccine in New Zealand, Novavax is now available for those people who would prefer, or require, an alternative."
Shrinking isolation periods
It was about a month ago, on February 15, when the Government reduced the isolation period to 10 days from 14, as part of the second phase of its Omicron plan.
The third and final phase, which came into effect on February 24, meant that only COVID-19 cases and household contacts had to self-isolate - not close contacts.
The latest change comes as health services struggle to remain operational due to workers falling ill with COVID-19 or needing to self-isolate.
Public Health Director Dr Caroline McElnay announced on Tuesday that essential health workers with COVID-19 could return to work under some circumstances.
It came after the Ministry of Health registered more than 23,000 new community COVID-19 cases on Tuesday with more than 750 people in hospital.
"As you're all aware, isolating infectious cases has been a key strategy for preventing the spread of COVID. However, as our cases increase, our health services are stretched trying to operate services with large numbers of staff members being required to self-isolate," Dr McElnay said on Tuesday.
"One measure that's been put in place to address this is an arrangement that now allows critical healthcare workers with COVID to return to work earlier than usual if their absence would mean that a critical health service would have to stop functioning.
"This can only occur if the case meets strict criteria and all steps are taken to protect the safety and wellbeing of the case themselves, their patients and other staff. The staff member's wellbeing will be checked daily and if they develop symptoms or their symptoms worsen, they would stand down from work.
"There are two pathways currently available for critical healthcare workers who are cases to return to work. The first pathway allows healthcare workers with two negative RATs to return to work on day six after they've had their negative RATs.
"The second allows COVID-positive staff to return to work on wards where all the patients are also COVID-positive, without any stand down period. The second pathway can only be used if all other options have been exhausted but it's an extra tool that enables our health system to keep running."
The health workers need to be fully vaccinated and boosted, be asymptomatic or have mild symptoms, must agree to return and not feel pressured, and must be in a role where their absence puts an essential service at risk.