1. Pursuant to clause 15A of the COVID-19 Public Health Response (Isolation and Quarantine) Order 2020 (“Order”), I, the Honourable Dr Ayesha Verrall, Acting Minister for COVID-19 Response, having taken into account the advice of the Director-General of Health, hereby declare that despite anything to the contrary in the Order, an Exempt Person under this notice may:

1. be in close proximity with other Exempt Persons under this notice for the purposes of training; and
2. leave their designated room within a MIQF for the purposes of training provided that this is conducted in accordance with the conditions of this notice.

Definitions

2. In this notice, Eligible Person means any person who has travelled to New Zealand on or about 26 January 2022 to participate in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup (as listed as a Government-approved event at H5.30.15 of the Immigration Instructions) as part of the India Women’s Cricket Team (including without limitation players, coaches and other team management and support staff).

3. An Exempt Person means an Eligible Person who:

1. meets the Eligibility Criteria set out in clauses 16–18 of this notice; and
2. has not had their exemption revoked by the Director-General of Health or the Minister for COVID-19 Response in accordance with clauses 9–15 of this notice.

Effect of Exemption

4. For the purposes of enabling training at a training facility designated as a low-risk MIQF (Training Facility), this exemption permits an Exempt Person to:

1. leave their room (in accordance with section 32P(1)(g) of the COVID-19 Public Health Response Act 2020); and
2. be in close proximity to others (despite clause 8(3) of the Order), provided that these activities are not inconsistent with any condition specified in this notice, including any notification from a medical officer of health or the Director-General of Health given in accordance with clauses 9–15 of this notice.

5. Any Eligible Person who does not meet, or no longer meets the Eligibility Criteria is not an Exempt Person and must immediately comply with all requirements in the Order.

6. Except as set out in this notice, all other provisions of the Order continue to apply to an Exempt Person.

Commencement, Term and Expiry of Notice

7. This exemption commences at 11.59pm on 17 January 2022.

8. This exemption expires on the following date (whichever occurs first):

1. once every person subject to this exemption completes their period of isolation or quarantine in accordance with clause 10 of the Order; or
2. if the Director-General permanently revokes all exemptions under this notice in accordance with clause 10 of this notice; or
3. if the Minister for COVID-19 Response permanently revokes all exemptions under this notice in accordance with clause 13 of this notice; or
4. at 11.59pm on 2 April 2022.

Revocation and Suspension of Exemption

9. A person may have their exemption revoked or suspended and accordingly cease to be an Exempt Person when the Director-General notifies the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) that:

1. the Director-General is not satisfied that an Exempt Person is unlikely to transmit COVID-19, having regard to advice from a medical officer of health and any emerging evidence of risk of outbreak or spread of COVID-19; or
2. an Exempt Person has been required to stay in a high-risk MIQF or otherwise is considered at risk of transmitting COVID-19; or
3. an Exempt Person has breached the Order, has been arrested, charged or is suspected of committing an offence punishable by imprisonment; or
4. an Exempt Person has not met or complied with a condition of this exemption or has breached a condition of this exemption.

10. For the purposes of clause 9 of this notice, the Director-General may revoke the exemption of:

1. any individual Exempt Person; or
2. any number of Exempt Persons covered by this notice (including all Exempt Persons).

11. For the purposes of clause 9 of this notice, the Director-General may revoke the exemption of all or any group of Exempt Persons by providing a single notice to the BCCI.

12. For the purposes of clause 9 of this notice, the Director-General may:

1. permanently revoke the exemption for any or all Exempt Person(s);
2. suspend the exemption for any Exempt Person(s):
   1. for a fixed period as set out in the Director-General’s notice (this period may be extended at the Director-General’s discretion upon provision of further notice to the Cricket Board); or
   2. until specified conditions set out in the Director-General’s notice are met to the Director-General’s satisfaction.

13. The Minister for COVID-19 Response may permanently revoke the exemption for any or all Exempt Person(s) or may amend this notice.

14. Despite anything to the contrary in this notice, where satisfied that it is necessary to do so to investigate or respond to any emerging risk, a medical officer of health may:

1. require one or more Exempt Persons to remain in their room;
2. require one or more Exempt Persons (including all Exempt Persons) to maintain distance as required by clause 8(3) of the Order.

15. The Exempt Person(s) must immediately comply with any direction given by the medical officer of health until:

1. the Director-General of Health notifies the BCCI that the restricted activity can resume;
2. notice is given to the BCCI that the exemption is suspended or revoked in accordance with clause 9 of this notice, in which case the Exempt Person(s) must comply with the terms of that notice;

Eligibility Criteria

16. An Eligible Person must meet the following criteria to become an Exempt Person.

17. An Eligible Person must undergo:

1. a COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction test within 48 hours prior to commencing their travel to New Zealand; and
2. a symptom check within 48 hours prior to commencing their travel to New Zealand; and
3. medical testing and examination for COVID-19 within 24 hours of their arrival at the allocated MIQF in which the Exempt Person is are residing; and
4. medical testing and examination for COVID-19 on or around the third day after arrival in New Zealand; and
5. medical testing and examination for COVID-19 on or around the sixth day after arrival in New Zealand (Day Six Test).

18. Following completion of the Day Six Test, an Eligible Person will be an Exempt Person if a medical officer of health is satisfied that the Eligible Person is unlikely to transmit COVID-19.

Ongoing Conditions

19. Exempt Persons must:

1. undergo medical testing and examination on or around the ninth day after arrival to New Zealand and continue to satisfy a medical officer of health that they are unlikely to transmit COVID-19;
2. travel only between the Training Facility and the allocated MIQF in which the Exempt Person is residing as directly as practicable;
3. undertake travel between the Training Facility and the allocated MIQF in which the Exempt Person is residing in a vehicle that has been designated by the Crown for this purpose;
4. refrain from in-person contact with any other person who is not an Exempt Person under this notice, except to the extent required to undertake the travel to and from the Training Facility and except as contemplated by the Order (for example, contact may be required with the driver of the designated vehicle and any site manager);
5. wear medical face coverings as provided by the relevant site manager while traveling in the designated vehicles to and from the Training Facility;
6. maintain physical distancing (to the greatest extent practicable) from all other residents (i.e. those persons not subject to this exemption) at the allocated MIQF in which the Exempt Person is residing and at any other location and in accordance with this exemption;
7. only access the areas of the allocated MIQF in which the Exempt Person is residing and the Training Facility as advised by the relevant site manager (including any space at the allocated MIQF in which the Exempt Person is residing which may be designated for official team business); and
8. comply with any other public health measures that are necessary or desirable to ensure that the activities permitted by this exemption are conducted safely to prevent the outbreak or spread of COVID-19, as notified to the BCCI by the Director-General of Health or a medical officer of health from time to time.

Dated this 14th day of January 2022.

Hon Dr AYESHA VERRALL, Acting Minister for COVID-19 Response.