Additional testing measures to strengthen safety of border

Kia ora koutou,
 
Thank you for working with us over the past few months to introduce mandatory border worker COVID-19 testing. The recent cases among border workers have highlighted the importance of maintaining vigilance at the border for keeping New Zealand communities safe.
 
This email is regarding the COVID-19 Public Health Response (Required Testing) Amendment Order (No 3) 2020, which comes into effect at 11:59pm on 25 November 2020.

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This Order, which is the third of three planned amendments, extends the requirement for mandatory testing to some additional groups of workers at airports and ports in New Zealand that receive international arrivals. The Order also increases the frequency of testing for some groups of workers and sets out Government expectations for both employers and employees affected by the mandatory testing Orders. 

New testing requirements
The Order will take effect at 11:59pm on 25 November and will extend mandatory routine testing once every 14 days to the following new groups of workers:

• all other airside workers (other than excluded airport persons)
• all landside workers (other than excluded airport persons) who interact with international arriving or international transiting passengers
• all other port workers (other than excluded port persons) who interact with persons required to be in isolation or quarantine under COVID-19 order.

The Order also increases the frequency of testing, from fortnightly to once every 7 days, for the following groups:

• persons (other than excluded airport persons) who spend more than 15 minutes in enclosed space on board aircraft that have arrived from outside New Zealand
• persons (other than excluded port persons) who spend more than 15 minutes in enclosed space on board affected ship
• pilots (other than excluded port persons) carrying out work on or around an affected ship.

​Obligations for employers and employees
In addition to the new testing requirements, the Order also introduces new duties for Persons Conducting a Business or Undertaking (PCBUs) that employ border or managed isolation and quarantine facility workers covered by the COVID-19 Public Health Response (Required Testing) Amendment Orders.
 
For the purposes of facilitating compliance with testing and medical requirements, these PCBUs will need to:

• notify each affected person employed or engaged by the PCBU of the requirement to undergo testing and the frequency,
• not prevent any affected person from being tested during their working hours if testing is available during those hours,
• keep written records of their employees’ testing and their compliance.

 
Affected persons (workers) will need to provide the information that the PCBU that engages or employs them requires to meet their record keeping obligations.
 
A breach of the mandatory testing requirements under the Order will be an infringement offence.
 
The COVID-19 Public Health Response (Required Testing) Amendment Order (No 3) 2020 can be viewed at: http://www.legislation.govt.nz/regulation/public/2020/0284/latest/LMS426627.html
 
Testing is a core part of our elimination strategy
Testing continues to be a core part of our elimination strategy for COVID-19 and is in addition to the current public health measures being practiced at the border (e.g. physical distancing, basic hygiene measures, appropriate PPE use, etc.).
We thank you for your continued commitment to working with border employers to ensure their staff are tested and understand the symptoms of COVID-19. It remains important for anyone who works at the border to get a test immediately if they have symptoms consistent with COVID-19.
Thank you again for deploying staff and facilities to make testing available.

Ngā mihi nui
Testing Strategy Lead  l  COVID-19 Health System Response   

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