“If it’s ok for MPs to isolate at home for five days after leaving Auckland, why can’t the same be done for highly skilled migrants and New Zealanders coming to boost the health response?” asks ACT Leader David Seymour.

“Our parliamentary democracy is extremely important. So are, for example, critical care nurses right now. So why can’t everyone else have the same rights Parliament is allowing MPs?

“Next week Auckland-based MPs will be able to come to parliament if they have a pre-departure test, do five days in isolation and then get a further test.

“If that sort of arrangement is ok for them, why not everyone else? How come Speaker of the House Trevor Mallard can move faster and more sensibly than the Jacinda Ardern Government?

“As each day passes, New Zealand’s isolation goes from our greatest strength to our greatest weakness. As the rest of the world moves on from COVID, we must be prepared to move with them.

“Every day, there are heart-breaking stories in the news of New Zealanders desperate to get home and skilled workers who’d love to be here.

“If someone is fully vaccinated, why can’t they isolate at home?

“The simple question for the Government is: do they want to safely reconnect with the world, or keep us in crisis mode forever?

“It’s time to stop the command and control, reunite families and let in the workers we desperate need. It’s time, in other words, to be kind.”

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