Call for urgency as inquiry into support of disabled people during Omicron launched

Thursday, 10 March 2022

Chris Hipkins announces the self-isolation time for cases and household contacts will be cut to seven days, from 10. (First published March 9, 2022)

Using powers under the Human Rights Act, Disability Rights Commissioner Paula Tesoriero is launching an inquiry into the support of disabled people during the Omicron outbreak, and calling for urgency.

“I’m concerned the high transmission of Omicron, combined with easing of public health restrictions, has put disabled people at greater risk,” she said in a statement on Thursday.

“Disabled people are more likely to have long-term health conditions than non-disabled people. International evidence shows some disabled people are at greater risk of long-term illness, or death, from Covid-19 than non-disabled people.”

Disability Rights Commissioner Paula Tesoriero is concerned about the risks disabled people face during the Omicron outbreak. (Image description: Paul Tesoriero is sitting in an armchair in a dimly lit room and speaking to someone off camera. She has short dark hair and wears a black top with a blazer.)

Tesoriero said she was aware that disabled people have already been let down, without clear information about where to get support during the current outbreak.

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Dr Huhana Hickey, a laywer and disability advocate, believes an inquiry is long overdue. (Image description: Dr Huhana Hickey is in front of some tussock and looks into the distance away from the camera. She wears a purple T-shirt and amber glasses, has short grey hair and a moko kauae.)

“I am deeply concerned about planning for the Omicron phase, potentially; a lack of targeted, accessible information for disabled people, support for testing (some disabled people are unable to self-administer tests), support for those experiencing difficulties self-isolating, and the continuity of essential in-home services for disabled people.

“I believe the situation is urgent and urgency needs to be applied to addressing these concerns,” Tesoriero said.

Sonia Thursby, the chief executive of YES Disability Resource Centre, said that there had been very little disability-specific information released by the Ministry of Health on Covid-19 testing, leaving “our most vulnerable groups unable to be tested, and they’re frightened”.

Dr Huhana Hickey, a lawyer and disability advocate, said there had been issues for disabled people “right from day one”.

She said the only reason that disabled people didn’t make up a large proportion of Covid-19 case numbers was that Government lockdowns worked to keep disabled people safe.

“But now that they’re opening up, Omicron is presenting a whole new raft of issues.”

Parts of the disabled community were concerned by the lack of support workers during the Omicron outbreak, Hickey said, and with borders opening up, carers for disabled people became a big risk.

She said that someone she knew who was a tetraplegic spent all night in his wheelchair because the agency couldn’t find him any available carers.

“We haven't been given the same protection we had before, and it’s because disability hasn’t been given a priority when it comes to the decisions that [the Government] is making.”

The inquiry was long overdue, Hickey said.

Tesoriero said the inquiry would be in two phases.

The first, being launched now, would gather information from organisations about what they understand to be current experiences of disabled people and their whānau. A report with recommendations will be released in April.

Phase two would consider how the needs of disabled people have been responded to throughout the entire Covid-19 response.