• Movement restrictions beyond self-isolation requirements e.g. localised or national "lockdowns"
• Managed isolation and quarantine
• Worker vaccine mandates
• Capacity/gathering limits
• My Vaccine Pass
• Requirement to display QR codes
• Record keeping for contact tracing purposes
• New Zealand Traveller Declaration System
• Entry restrictions at the border
• Vaccination requirements for travellers
• Testing – for people in self-isolation or who would otherwise be required to self-isolate
Cabinet yesterday agreed to keep seven-day self-isolation periods for positive cases as well as mask-use in certain healthcare settings, in accordance with health advice.
The Government retained the ability to introduce self-isolation periods for household contacts.
It could also impose a number of conditions on those travelling to New Zealand, including mask use, testing on departure and/or arrival, provision of travel history for contact tracing, self-isolation/quarantine and prohibiting Covid-19 positive people or those with symptoms.
The New Zealand traveller declaration for incoming travellers had also been scrapped. Customs was developing an online declaration system to replace the paper arrival card by June next year.
Retaining those powers did not mean they would be used, but were held in reserve if needed.
Hipkins said it was important to remove the "unprecedented" powers Government had been given to address the Covid-19 pandemic when they were no longer required.
"Countries that have far less respect for the rule of law and far less respect for democracy have these sorts of laws on the statute books on an ongoing basis; that's not something we should have in New Zealand."
If lockdowns or other scrapped measures became necessary, Government would have to pass new legislation to reintroduce them.
Hipkins believed it was "highly unlikely" those powers would be needed again, but acknowledged the possibility a new variant emerging would "set us back to square one".
Asked why all Covid-19 restrictions weren't removed, Hipkins said key public health responses should be retained if another wave of the virus occurred, as had been predicted for this year or next winter.
"Effectively, we're leaving the door open to having those things next winter when we could see a significant resurgence of case numbers but we're taking most of the things that we've done previously off the table."
He suspected New Zealanders would be feeling reassured there wouldn't be any lockdowns in the "foreseeable future".
The next review of Covid-19 measures would be completed by the end of November.
Experts react with relief
Public health experts say they're relieved the Government is keeping core remaining measures like select mask mandates and mandatory isolation periods, which Australia scrapped this month.
At the same time, they've repeated calls to create a new and lasting pandemic framework that would allow the Government to scale up emergency measures, without the need to pass new laws.
Otago University epidemiologist Professor Michael Baker said isolation periods for infected people remained critical.
"There's no question this is the way to manage pandemic diseases, so it's good the Government is retaining that," he said.
"I'm sure employers don't want people coming to work with Covid-19 and infecting other staff, so this is very much in everybody's interest."
Still, Baker said the country still needed a backstop framework in place to "make New Zealand pandemic-proof" - and he and colleagues have called for a revised alert level system that could be used to respond to any escalation in threat levels.
"I think most people regard that as reassuring, just as they do the tools we have to respond to other disasters that nature throws at us."
Fellow Otago epidemiologist Professor Nick Wilson agreed a new and purpose-built framework for the pandemic could help tackle future ones.
"It's a pity we've had a couple of frameworks already that have been developed, and then abandoned."
But, with cases on the rise again, he was similarly pleased the Government hadn't scrapped all of its controls.
"As we learn more about long Covid, we really still want to have some controls in place."
University of Auckland immunologist and long Covid researcher Dr Anna Brooks – who was among 150 experts who this year urged the Government not to rely on vaccines alone in combating the virus – said the pandemic situation still remained "absolutely uncertain".
With our borders fully open, New Zealand was no longer able to learn from the rest of the world's experiences before new threats arrived here – including fresh waves driven by new subvariants.
"It's looking certain that we are going to see cases rise – and we'd like to see better protections in place for vulnerable people."
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern confirmed there would be a "significant narrowing" of the Government's Covid-19 powers amid an update to the relevant legislation.
Ardern said only restrictions that were necessary for responding to the current pandemic climate would be retained in what she described as a "significant narrowing" of Government powers.
"Just like any civil defence emergency, even if we don't need them, we need to make sure we're still prepared so we will be narrowing but looking at what do we need to keep on the shelf."
Asked whether mandates were still on the table, Ardern said she would wait until the details were announced later today but repeated that any change would be proportionate to what the country was facing regarding Covid-19.
She referenced how the expected rise in cases before the end of the year was being realised and how it was important protective measures were still in place.
"I think people understand that one of the most significant things you can do to prevent dramatic escalation in case numbers is just making sure people with Covid stay home."
Ardern said similar legislation to that of civil defence should be considered when thinking about how to address future pandemics.
"It's very much a matter though of making sure we continue to be prepared for Covid while we work on what a general epidemic legislative framework would look like."
