1. Pursuant to clause 26 of the COVID-19 Public Health Response (Air Border) Order (No 2) 2020 (“Order”), I, Hon Chris Hipkins, Minister for COVID-19 Response, having taken into account the advice of the Director-General of Health, declare that the following persons are exempt from clause 8(2A), (3) and (4) of the Order:

New Zealand government officials and support staff, accompanying evacuees from Afghanistan, on charter flights from Australia to New Zealand, commencing 26 August 2021, where persons:

1. have either:
   1. not had a positive result from a test for COVID-19 during the relevant 14-day period; or
   2. have had a positive result from a test for COVID-19 during the relevant 14-day period and they have a certificate from a medical practitioner verifying that the medical practitioner is of the opinion that this is an historical infection and the person is no longer infectious with COVID-19; and

   are not awaiting the results of a test for COVID-19 that they have undergone during the relevant 14-day period;

2. are not subject to a relevant direction or advice from a suitably qualified health practitioner or official from New Zealand to undergo a test for COVID-19 or isolate from others;
3. do not have any of the following symptoms:
   1. a new or worsening cough;
   2. a sore throat;
   3. shortness of breath;
   4. a runny nose;
   5. a loss of sense of smell;
   6. a fever; or

      a suitably qualified health practitioner has certified, on the basis of the symptoms the person is experiencing, that the person should not be required to isolate or quarantine;

4. either:
   1. are fully vaccinated, having received two injections of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine and it is over two weeks since their second dose and those persons will self-isolate at their usual place of residence after arrival in New Zealand, except as required to report and submit for testing, until receiving a negative COVID-19 test result and negative COVID-19 test results have been received for all Afghanistan evacuees with whom they shared a flight; or
   2. if not fully vaccinated, will self-isolate at their usual place of residence after arrival in New Zealand, except as required to report and submit for testing, until receiving a negative day five COVID-19 test result and negative COVID-19 test results have been received for all Afghanistan evacuees with whom they shared a flight.

2. For the purposes of this instrument:

1. medical practitioner means a person who is registered or licensed in New Zealand as a health professional equivalent to a medical practitioner;
2. official of a public health authority includes a person who is engaged in New Zealand by a public health authority;
3. relevant direction or advice —
   1. means a direction under a New Zealand law; and
   2. includes a direction or advice from a suitably qualified health practitioner, or an official of a relevant public health authority;
4. RT-PCR test means a test for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) viral ribonucleic acid using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR);
5. suitably qualified health practitioner includes a person who is registered or licensed in New Zealand as a health professional equivalent to a suitably qualified health practitioner.

3. The exemption will begin at 11.59pm New Zealand time on Wednesday 25 August 2021.

Dated at Wellington this 25th day of August 2021.

Hon CHRIS HIPKINS, Minister for COVID-19 Response.