Border workers will no longer be required to undergo COVID-19 testing under New Zealand’s public health response to the pandemic, from 11.59pm Thursday 30 June, as part of ongoing adjustments to the pandemic response.
Early in the pandemic, when the focus was keeping out cases of COVID-19, ongoing testing of border workers was crucial, as they were a possible gateway for COVID-19 to enter the community, presenting a significant risk to the country. However, as the pandemic moves into its third year, the response strategy has shifted to minimisation and protection, and with widespread community transmission infection in border workers is no longer seen as a greater risk than infection in the general population.
The Ministry of Health recognises that through regular testing, border workers have played a critical role in the country’s public health response and the Ministry would like to thank them for their continued support and commitment to the health and wellbeing of New Zealanders.
The revocation of the Required Testing Order (RTO), which provided the legal basis for the testing, is part of a wider move to ensure Aotearoa’s public health measures remain proportionate to the risk that COVID-19 presents to the community.
