The Government has ruled out making day three testing in managed isolation facilities compulsory, saying the mandatory testing at day 12 is enough to keep the public safe.
It comes as National’s health spokesperson criticised the Government in the House today for not knowing how many people were leaving managed isolation facilities without getting two tests - one at day three and another at day 12.
Only the day 12 test is compulsory as only those who test negative are able to leave the managed isolation facility.
Dr Shane Reti asked Health Minister Chris Hipkins about the rates of testing at day three and 12 since June 8 at managed isolation facilities.
Mr Hipkins said 20,065 people had been tested on day three of their stay and 19,473 had been tested on day 12. He said since that date, 15 adults had refused a test on day 12, and others, such as infants because of their age, were not tested on day three.
No one had left a facility without returning a negative day 12 test, and the adults who had refused that test could be told to stay in managed isolation for a further two weeks, Mr Hipkins said.
“We don’t routinely measure the number of people who have had day three tests because it’s not the most important consideration when it comes to our public health response.”
He said of the 14 people who tested positive on day 12, 12 of those people had returned a negative day three test.
However, he said the majority of positive Covid-19 cases in managed isolation and quarantine were detected at day three.
Dr Reti asked whether the Government had considered making day three testing mandatory because of the rate of detection at day three.
Mr Hipkins said: “The current requirement is that it’s mandatory at day 12 [to get tested] when somebody is released.
“I have no intention of changing that because the public health grounds to do so would not be strong enough.”
Dr Reti also pointed to reports which said “thousands of people” hadn’t been tested on day three since June 8.
But, Mr Hipkins refuted the statement, and said “the numbers simply don’t support that claim”.
“The day three test is primarily to ensure that the people who have Covid-19 who are in managed isolation and quarantine facilities are getting the support they need for that.
“There’s very little risk to public health from a positive day three test.”
When asked by reporters earlier this afternoon whether the lack of clarity about day three testing rates could pose a risk for managed isolation facility workers if the virus wasn’t detected as early as possible, he said people in the facilities took “protective measures”.
“Anyone who is showing symptoms gets tested as soon as they show symptoms,” Mr Hipkins said.
Everybody who is in managed isolation is treated as if they have Covid-19, he said.
Mr Hipkins said people had an incentive to get tested at day three as a positive test at day 12 would mean they would have to stay in the facility longer than if it had been detected earlier.
It comes as a maintenance worker at Rydges Hotel in Auckland tested positive for Covid-19 after he was in the same elevator as a person who had the virus.
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