January 23, 2024
Keep Covid tests free says Kemp
Tamaki Makaurau MP Takutai Moana Tarsh Kemp is calling for Covid testing kits to continue being free.
The Government is reviewing whether it will continue to fund face masks and rapid antigen tests beyond the end of February.
This comes at a time when rates of Covid-19 have surged to their highest levels since New Zealand’s fifth wave began.
Ms Kemp, who managed the Covid response at Manurewa Marae before being elected a Maori Party MP, says Covid is rampant in Maori communities but a lot of people are not testing – and that will get worse if they have to pay.
“It’s going to be our whanau who are hit the most. We know the cost of living is still a problem. They’re not going to buy a RAT test before they buy bread and milk. It will still be a problem in our community,” she says.
Ms Kemp says numbers at Saturday’s Hui a Motu in Ngaruawahia would have been even higher if not for the fat many people stayed away because of Covid.