28 Feb 2022

1pm Covid-19 briefings to return Tuesday-Thursday

3:42 pm on 28 February 2022

The 1pm media briefings in the Beehive theatrette are set to return, as New Zealanders prepare for the full impact of the Omicron outbreak.

Ashley Bloomfield

Ashley Bloomfield Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver

Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield will front on Tuesdays and Thursdays and Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins will appear on Wednesdays.

Parliament will operate for now under a "hybrid" model, with some distanced MPs in the debating chamber and others beaming in via video conferencing from around the country.

Select committees will continue to hold online hearings.

It comes as the Omicron outbreak continues to spread, with more than 14,000 daily cases reported both today and yesterday.

The shift from MIQ to home isolation for vaccinated New Zealanders travelling from Australia also began today, and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is expected to announce decisions about the future of border restrictions this afternoon, following the weekly Cabinet meeting.

Environment Minister David Parker today also was the first MP to report testing positive for Covid-19.

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