Dear Health New Zealand,
In early October 2021 there was a document that identified”Covid 19 streams”. I will copy and paste from the 8 Oct 2021 document from Waikato DHB:
“COVID-19 stream definition to assist where vulnerable workers may work
———————————————————-

The only COVID-19 stream areas within Waikato DHB, at this stage, defined for the purposes of vulnerable workers are

· The Waikato Hospital Emergency Department (ED) Yellow stream (which takes a high volume of pa�ents with respiratory symptoms and therefore a raised risk of COVID-19)
· The COVID-19 specific area of A2 (four individual rooms completely separated from the rest of A2)
· The COVID-19 specific area of ICU (not currently in use but completely separate from the rest of ICU)
· The COVID-19 specific Room B4 in Delivery Suite (has yet to be used for a COVID-19 delivery).
Importantly the other Emergency Departments within the DHB are NOT COVID-19 streams under the vulnerable worker definition.
Also the use of N95 masks and eye protection in an area does not define a COVID-19 stream. Finally, a respiratory presentation to an area does not define that area as a COVID-19 stream.
For clarification, Middlemore ED have defined the whole of their Emergency Department as a COVID-19 stream due to ventilation issues. The Waikato Hospital Yellow stream has a separate ventilation system from the Waikato ED Green stream.
We trust that this provides guidance as to how vulnerable workers should be managed within the context of COVID-19 streams.“

Would you please share the documents containing Covid-19 stream definitions for all the other DHBs in New Zealand from around October 2021?

Yours faithfully,

Erika Whittome

Dear hnzOIA,
Many tables with information on the workplace risks have been redacted with what appears to be "9(2)(g)(i) of the Act, to protect the effective conduct of public affairs"

Given workplace risks in a public hospital should be public information, would you kindly share all the information unredacted about the covid streams as they were defined by our public servants?

Yours sincerely,

Erika Whittome

Dear hnzOIA,

I have lodged a complaint with the Ombudsman about the requested information under the Act not being shared .

Yours sincerely,

Erika Whittome