Covid 19 Omicron outbreak: 'Rapid advice' incoming on isolation rules for travellers

The isolation rules that apply to people entering New Zealand may soon change following new advice from experts.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern revealed this morning the Government had requested "rapid advice" from the Strategic Covid-19 Public Health Advisory Group - led by Professor Sir David Skegg - on whether self-isolation was required for travellers.

"Once we receive [the advice], we'll turn it around quickly because all of those decisions have been very clearly based on the science," Ardern told Newshub Nation.

"When we can move, we will."

From Monday, Kiwis arriving from Australia will be able to enter the country without needing to stay in MIQ.

They must be fully vaccinated, return a negative test before flying and spend seven days in self-isolation, taking two rapid antigen tests.

However, the value of self-isolating on arrival had decreased given how widespread Covid-19 was in the community.

Ardern recognised the importance any change would have on citizens and tourists alike.

"We know that it will make an absolute difference, not only to Kiwis coming home, but to the visitors we want back on our shores."

She wouldn't confirm to Newshub Nation when the advice would be returned or when a decision would be made, only to say the advice was expected shortly.

It comes as community cases spiked yesterday to 12,011 and a number of other key Covid-19 metrics also reached record levels.

University of Otago epidemiologist Professor Michael Baker. Photo / Supplied

Experts suspected the 95.7 per cent rise in daily cases could have been due to the new testing regime that made rapid antigen tests (RATs) more available to the general public.

Epidemiologist Professor Michael Baker said it was reasonable to assume we were now detecting Covid-19 cases in the community that had always been there because of the rollout of a test that was easier to access and carry out.

"With an infection like this where many cases are mild, and asymptomatic, the number you detect, the proportion, it's like you've got an iceberg floating there.

"If you suddenly have a way of visualising more of the iceberg, you get an artificial increase in cases, because we have always known that cases detected, especially with the Omicron variant in the highly vaccinated population, is only a minority of cases."

The deaths of five people with Covid-19 were also reported yesterday - taking New Zealand's tally since the pandemic began to 61.

This is the most Covid-19 deaths recorded in a day in New Zealand. The previous highest was four deaths on April 14, 2020.

Two of the people who died were being cared for on Auckland's North Shore, two were in Waikato and one was in Tauranga.

Baker said the big jump in daily reported deaths looked shocking after the last two years where New Zealand had gone long periods of having no deaths at all - but over the next two to three months the country would see a higher number of deaths.

"We're going to see a lot more deaths and we will see some days probably with more than 10 deaths a day," he said.

"We are expecting several hundred deaths during this Omicron wave."

Meanwhile, New Zealand's positivity rate - the percentage of tests that are positive - via PCR testing for the previous 24-hour period was 27.4 per cent yesterday. On Thursday, the country's positivity rate was 10.9 per cent.