Kerre McIvor: Latest Covid 19 coronavirus outbreak reveals holes in Government s strategy
27 Feb, 2021 04:00 PM
5 minutes to read
The queue for Covid-19 testing at the Otara, South Auckland testing site on February 24. Photo / South Seas Healthcare
The queue for Covid-19 testing at the Otara, South Auckland testing site on February 24. Photo / South Seas Healthcare
OPINION
This latest Papatoetoe Covid cluster has highlighted just how fragile the contract is between the Government and the people. When news that the Papatoetoe High School cluster had spread, Aucklanders braced themselves for another lockdown. After all, that s what happens whenever there s a community outbreak.
Those fears were realised last night when Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced that Auckland was back in level 3, and the rest of New Zealand in level 2, for the next seven days.
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BusinessDesk‘s Rebecca Stevenson on how to access the Resurgence Support Payment and other Covid-19 response provisions.
With Auckland thrown back into level three as the Papatoetoe cluster spreads and the rest of New Zealand now in level two, the government has activated the Covid-19 Resurgence Support Payment (RSP).
Alongside the resurgence payment is the bog standard wage subsidy, and businesses are able to claim both, if eligible.
The new round of wage subsidy from this outbreak is estimated to cost between $400 million and $500 million.
If your application is successful payments will come from Inland Revenue within five working days of approval. The resurgence support payments are not subject to income tax.
The $350 payment to employers to pay workers who need to self-isolate while awaiting a test but can't work from home kicks off tomorrow.
The new Short-term