5 October 2020
Darren Sharpe
[FYI request #13570 email]
Dear Mr Sharpe
Re: Official Information Act request IR-01-20-24459 dated 22 August seeking
information as follows:
“Can you please outline the protocols in place with regards to the potential for a police
officer that is an Asymptomatic carrier of the COVID19 virus being able to infect other
staff and or members of the public.
Can you please outline the protocols that are established once an officer has confirmed
positive with COVID19, including the steps required to be taken by other officers and
members of the public that have been a close contact of that infected officer and or other
officers that are close contacts, including tracing and testing requirements, and isolation
and quarantine requirements.
Can you please outline the protocols in place to establish when it is safe return to duties
for an officer that has been tested and confirmed positive for COVID19
Can you please outline the protocols in place in regards to police equipment and facilities
providing an opportunity for transfer of COVID19 between team members, and to and
between members of the public.
Can you please outline the protocols in place to in regards to the possible transfer of
COVID19 infection between members of the public with the Police officer acting as the
unwitting host.”
Police has broken your request into five separate questions as follows:
Question 1: Police is able to provide you with guidelines regarding building procedures,
personal protective equipment and the protection of family members.
Police National Headquarters 180 Molesworth Street. PO Box 3017, Wellington 6140, New Zealand.
Telephone: 04 474 9499. Fax: 04 498 7400. www.police.govt.nz
Question 2: Under current government rules any person, including Police employees,
that tests positive for COVID-19 must be moved into a quarantine facility for 14 days
while any close contacts identified with contact tracing are to be tested and self-isolate
until test results are confirmed.
Question 3: Police officers follow the same guidelines regarding returning to home/work
as all positive COVID-19 cases. Guidelines are publicly available on the Government’s
Unite Against COVID-19 website
(https://covid19.govt.nz/health-and-wellbeing/covid-
19/covid-19-testing/#if-you-test-positive).
Question 4: Police can provide documents on Police custody operations, blood and body
fluid exposure and vehicle stop guidelines. Please note information has been redacted
under Official Information Act 1982 Section 9(2)(a)
to protect the privacy of natural
persons.
Question 5: Police can provide documents on attending a known COVID-19 address.
Police can also advise that current guidance for CPR states that mouth-to-mouth is not
performed under any circumstance. If there is no suspicion of COVID-19 based on
symptoms, CPR can be undertaken using chest compressions, AED and airway
management. If the person is a suspected or confirmed COVID-19 positive case, staff
must use full PPE and CPR can be undertaken to include chest compressions, and the
use of AED without airway management.
Police also directs you to the operational guidelines under Alert Levels 2, 3 and 4 which
are publicly available on the Police websi
te https://www.police.govt.nz/search-
results/operational%20guidelines, which you may find useful.
You have the right to ask the Ombudsman to review my decision if you are not satisfied
with the way that I have responded to your request.
Yours sincerely,
Superintendent Steve Greally
National Response Commander: Operation COVID
Police National Headquarters 180 Molesworth Street. PO Box 3017, Wellington 6140, New Zealand.
Telephone: 04 474 9499. Fax: 04 498 7400. www.police.govt.nz
