Pursuant to clause 8(1) of the COVID-19 Public Health Response (Testing for COVID-19) Order 2022 (“Order”), I, Dr Ashley Bloomfield, Director-General of Health, hereby specify the following:
- method of medical examination and testing for COVID-19, at the following times, to be required for every person who is required to undergo testing pursuant to clause 16 of the COVID-19 Public Health Response (Maritime Border) (No 2) 2020 (“the MBO”), and
- reporting requirements for relevant persons and masters who are required to notify COVID-19 test results pursuant to clause 16 and 17 of the MBO.
- All relevant persons must undergo a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) before disembarkation (being the day 0/1 test).
- If a relevant person remains off the ship for 120 hours or returns to the ship and intends to disembark again after 120 hours, the person must undergo a RAT between 120 hours and 144 hours after that person first disembarked (being the day 5/6 test).
- A relevant person must report the result of the RAT described in clause 2 as soon as reasonably practical by phoning the COVID-19 test results line on 0800 432 010.
- If a relevant person receives a positive COVID-19 result from a RAT undertaken pursuant to this notice, the relevant person must report for and undergo a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test as soon as reasonably practicable after receiving the positive RAT result.
Definitions
For the purpose of this notice:
- Disembarkation means leaving the ship for purposes other than undertaking an essential task.
- A master means any person (except a pilot) having command or charge of any ship as per section 2(1) of the Maritime Transport Act 1994.
- A PCR test is testing for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) viral ribonucleic acid using polymerase chain reaction (PCR).
- A RAT is testing for antigens specific to SARS-CoV-2 (rapid antigen test) using a point-of-care test permitted to be used under the COVID-19 Public Health Response (Point-of-care Tests) Order 2021.
- A relevant person means any person that disembarks a ship that arrived in New Zealand by sea.
This notice comes into effect after 11.59pm on 2 May 2022.
Dated this 29th day of April 2022.
Dr ASHLEY BLOOMFIELD, Director-General of Health.
Note: This notice replaces the notice published in the New Zealand Gazette, 29 April 2022, Notice No. 2022-go1597 due to incorrectly referenced MBO clauses.