Pursuant to clause 31A of the COVID-19 Public Health Response (Maritime Border) Order (No 2) 2020 (“Order”), I, the Honourable Chris Hipkins, Minister for COVID-19 Response, having taken into account the advice of the Director-General of Health and being satisfied that:

• the exemption is necessary or desirable in order to promote the purposes of the Act; and
• that the extent of this exemption is not broader than is reasonably necessary to address the matters that gave rise to the exemption,

declare that:

1. all persons onboard the vessel Professor Khromov (operating as the Spirit of Enderby) are exempt from the requirements in clauses 17 and 19 and 22 of the Order to isolate and/or quarantine and be tested for COVID-19 on the vessel’s arrival into New Zealand on two separate instances
1. on or around 8 February 2022; and
2. on or around 9 March 2022.

This exemption is subject to the following conditions:

1. All crew, staff and passengers must provide a valid COVID-19 vaccination pass to the captain or a nominated member of the crew before boarding;
2. a polymerase chain reaction test (PCR) must be undertaken by all persons departing on the vessel within 72 hours prior to boarding, and evidence of a negative result must be supplied to the captain or a nominated member of the crew before boarding in line with the requirements of the following Gazette notice: New Zealand Gazette, 30 April 2021, Notice No. 2021-go1679;
3. a deep clean of the vessel must be undertaken between cruises;
4. no person on board is subject to any public health requirements that have been imposed due to being at a location of interest;
5. no person on board is currently identified as a close or casual contact of COVID-19;
6. no person on board is experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19 at the time of the vessel’s departure or at any point during the journey including on arrival;
7. there is no physical contact with persons not on board the vessel, at any point after the vessel departs New Zealand and before it re-enters New Zealand;
1. For the purposes of this condition, physical contact occurs if a new person boards the ship, or if someone who was onboard the ship at the time of departure disembarks and
• boards another ship; or
• comes within two metres of another person not onboard the ship at the time of departure;
8. the ship does not berth at any port in the Ross Dependency at any point after the vessel departs New Zealand and before it re-enters New Zealand;
9. the operator of the vessel must abide by all conditions of travelling to the Ross Dependency imposed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Dated at Wellington this 21st day of December 2021.

Hon CHRIS HIPKINS, Minister for COVID-19 Response.