Home isolation pilot scheme announced

In today's post-cabinet media conference, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced a pilot that would allow those travelling overseas for business travel to forgo MIQ and isolate at home.

The scheme opens for expressions of interest on Thursday.

Ardern said the pilot would be capped at 150 people, with a focus on businesses and employees required to travel internationally for work purposes.

The scheme will be combined with a monitoring and testing regime and will only be open to New Zealand residents.

Those applying will need to arrive in New Zealand between 30 October and 8 December, with final travellers leaving isolation by 22 December, she said.

Ardern said it was not the government's intention to offer self-isolation only to business travellers, but the narrow scope of the pilot was for safety purposes.

"The reason we are focused on work-related travel is because of the extra level of protection that having an employer with some skin in the game provides," she said.

Ardern said further down the track it may not be necessary for everyone to isolate for the full 14 days.

The news of the self-isolation pilot follows the release of a new booking system for managed isolation.

Today RNZ reported that hundreds of people who tried to get a room in managed isolation last week have given the new 'virtual lobby' system an overall rating of 3.6 out of 10.

Quarantine free travel was also announced for RSE workers, beginning on 4 October for Vanuatu and 12 October for Samoa and Tonga.

Workers must have had at least one vaccination and have their doses completed in New Zealand if they have not already done so.

They must remain in isolation on site at their workplaces until day five, and will be tested on day zero and day five.