Staying safe during the pandemic “There have been multiple accessibility issues, particularly around testing and face masks, and a general feeling that these could have been addressed before they became problematic if disabled voices had been heard at any stage in the planning process.” (Submission) “Access to everything COVID-19 and Omicron related, vaccinations, tests, accessible information, none of it has come to our community when it needed to come out, which was right at the beginning. It has come after, when we dig for it, find it, and send it out, but it doesn’t go to everybody. But what can I say? We’re denied treatment in any case.” (Māori submission) “In this Omicron phase we are especially conscious of the higher level of risk that tagata sa’ilimalo face with the easing of public health restrictions. The high transmissibility of the Omicron virus, the extent of underlying health issues in the Pacific community, and the socio-economic pressures, place our community at higher risk when current safeguards are removed.” (Pacific peoples submission) Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the government has used a range of public health measures to keep us all safe and reduce COVID-19 spread. However, three of the main tools used during Omicron – vaccination, RATs and masks – have often been inaccessible to disabled people and their whānau. Submissions highlighted that the impacts of this fell most heavily on tāngata whaikaha Māori and disabled Pacific peoples: “It should come as no surprise that the ones whose needs weren’t being met were Māori or Pasifika disabled, while Pākehā disabled I know had their needs met very well.” (Māori submission) “Tāngata whaikaha Māori or other disabled people who are unemployed often said they didn’t have the funds to prepare or stock their pantry, or to get extra medications, thermometers etc for if/when they had COVID. Some couldn’t use technology e.g. to report they were sick.” (Māori submission) 23