Zizi Sparks: Rapid Antigen Testing during Covid 19 Omicron outbreak

A Rapid Antigen Test for Covid-19. Photo / NZME

OPINION

Since New Zealand was first plunged into lockdown almost two years ago we've endured weeks of lockdowns. But teachers kept educating our young ones from home.

Under the traffic light system, things are a little more normal and schools are operating as normal.

However, principals fear schools are at risk if they aren't made a critical service under the Close Contact Exemption Scheme.

Under the scheme, fully vaccinated workers who fall into the category and are an asymptomatic close contact will be eligible to return to work if they return a negative Rapid Antigen Test each shift.

Critical services include those involved in meeting basic human needs such as food production, manufacturing, distribution and sale, health and Covid-19 response services, and central and local government services.

It includes critical public services that will cause "significant social, economic or physical harm to the community if temporarily closed".

Education providers are not included in this category.

But they should be.

Principals fear rising Omicron cases in school communities could send students back to home learning situations. They are calling for access to Rapid Antigen Testing.

Early learning centres are also warning "mass closures" loom due to the lack of access to the tests.

As case numbers rise, so too will the number of close contacts and therefore the number of people needing testing, Already test results are taking longer to return than usual as demand soars and we can expect demand to climb even higher.

This week Covid-19 modeller Dr Dion O'Neale said there was a chance 10,000 cases may be recorded in a week's time.

However, University of Otago epidemiologist Michael Baker previously said even if New Zealand did reach that, we may not actually see them due to a lack of testing capacity.

Making Rapid Antigen Testing more accessible will help tackle demand but with only limited supplies, I can understand why these are limited to certain sectors.

The question is: Why educators aren't part of this group?

I can't imagine having to teach a classroom of 30 children or more from home. It is disruptive on the teacher and the students and with schools already disrupted for the past two years, it is important they return to some routine.

Teachers deserve to have access to rapid testing.

These tests need to be readily available, if not to the general public, then to the people who keep our communities running.