More than a year on from Covid-19 hitting our shores, it's not only the public confused about what is required at various alert levels. At Parliament the Speaker has taken the rules into his own hands in a way that can be described as inconsistent at best, writes political editor Jo Moir
Whether or not your alert level goes with you has become a common question after so many people who live outside of the Auckland region found themselves caught up in the latest Level 3 lockdown there.
In the immediate aftermath of the 6am shift to Level 3, thousands of people flocked out of the country’s biggest city on Sunday February 28 to return to their homes and the more relaxed Level 2.
It was the same lockdown that created seven-hour checkpoints for Aucklanders trying to return home.
The following day the Director-General of Health, Doctor Ashley Bloomfield, was asked by Newsroom whether those who left Auckland in the middle of the Covid outbreak needed to take Level 3 to their Level 2 homes.
This came on the back of microbiologist Doctor Siouxsie Wiles taking to social media calling for exactly that.
Bloomfield was explicit in saying the opposite, explaining that wasn’t the official guidance and Level 2 settings applied for everyone outside of Auckland, including anyone who had recently left there.
But in more recent days it’s emerged that’s not the case when people are moving between a Level 2 and Level 1 environment.
Ministry of Health advice is that Aucklanders who leave Level 2 and travel to a Level 1 environment should avoid mass gatherings larger than 100.
With Parliament resuming this week, Speaker Trevor Mallard, has implemented a set of last-minute rules to help Auckland MPs returning to work in Level 1 Wellington.
The rules mostly consist of one-metre distancing both in the Chamber and during stand-ups and press conferences
Asked by Newsroom what he was basing the rules on, he said, “I have been given no direct advice or instructions by anyone”.
“But I do feel that this place has special dangers because a lot of people come and go from all parts of the country and it would be one of the worst places, sort of like an airport, to get the virus started,’’ he said.
He did point out he’d had Bloomfield’s phone number for about 20 years and had access to the ninth floor (in other words, the Prime Minister) but neither played a part in his decision-making.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says the advice about taking your level with you has always been clear and the focus is on Aucklanders not attending gatherings of more than 100 when they travel around the country.
But when asked if Parliament's Chamber would be limited to 100 people this week, Mallard said that wasn’t a requirement he’d taken into consideration when setting the rules.
He has cleared out the Speaker’s gallery to allow for any overflow but didn’t know how many Auckland MPs were travelling to Wellington so wasn’t sure if there would be 100 or more for Question Time on Tuesday.
“We could have more than 100 on the floor today because at the moment in Wellington we can have gatherings of more than 100.
“What I’m requiring is where Aucklanders are involved, they’re to be distanced,’’ he said.
And that speaks directly to the confusion that continues to exist around alert levels.
While Ardern says the focus is on Auckland MPs not attending mass gatherings of more than 100, Mallard says that was never part of his consideration.
And to further complicate things public tours continue to operate, including visits to the public galleries during Question Time.
Newsroom was told by Parliament security that visitors weren’t asked where they had travelled from.
So while Mallard is carefully managing Auckland MPs’ distance from other colleagues in the Chamber and around the precinct, Aucklanders in general are welcome to visit Parliament and sit in the House during Question Time with no social distancing whatsoever.
The inconsistent application of the level settings from the top leaves the Government and health officials incredibly exposed if the public cites mixed messages as being to blame when accused of breaking the rules.
If the Speaker, with both Bloomfield and Ardern on speed dial, is still allowing public tours and mass gatherings at Parliament, while enforcing social distancing for MPs - what hope is there that others with far less access to information will get it right.
Shadow leader of the House and National’s Covid response spokesperson, Chris Bishop, says his party was happy to abide by the requirements but agreed it raised questions.
“It does speak to some of the issues we’ve been raising in the last week or so about the communication.
“There are mixed and confusing messages out there about who needs to get tested, who needs to self-isolate, and what you do with your bubble rules,’’ he told Newsroom.
Mallard says he’s “absorbed general advice from people, which all of us have heard’’ in deciding how to run things at Parliament this week.
“The 'take the bubble with you' – I have no idea where I’ve got that from, but it’s in my head.’’
If the selective rule-making is being left to what is in the Speaker’s head – it might be time for Bloomfield and Ardern to pick up the phone.
