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The Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has tested positive for Covid 19

Public Policy / news
The Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has tested positive for Covid 19
1st Oct 23, 3:11pm by Eric Frykberg
Labour leader Chris Hipkins speaks at the 2023 campaign launch in Auckland
Labour leader Chris Hipkins speaks at the 2023 campaign launch in Auckland

The Labour leader Chris Hipkins has tested positive for COVID-19.

This was revealed a short time ago by his office.

An official in his team says Hipkins has cold and flu symptoms that began yesterday.

A follow up test revealed his infection.

The official says he will be isolating for 5 days or until he returns a negative test.

Anyengagements that he can undertake via zoom will be continued.

Further updates on his schedule will be provided in due course.

Carmel Sepuloni undertook to step in for Hipkins at the launch of the party manifesto.

Other arrangements are expected to be made public later.

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36 Comments

by  nzforall  |  1st Oct 23, 3:13pm 1696126408

And all those who shook his hand -Eh!

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by  Baywatch  |  1st Oct 23, 3:33pm 1696127638

Thats probably how it got it ..Eh!..the great un-washed

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by  solardb  |  1st Oct 23, 3:36pm 1696127812

I don't think Covid is too picky. Coming in close contact with a large number of people increases your chances of getting it , no matter how washed they are. 

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by  Murray Falconer  |  1st Oct 23, 8:22pm 1696144935

I don't think Covid is too picky.

I thought it preferred to hunt out the unvaccinated in their homes, or was the PM at the time just making that up?

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by  Macawsley  |  2nd Oct 23, 6:19am 1696180760

No that's just you - making shit up.

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by  Murray Falconer  |  2nd Oct 23, 12:11pm 1696201892

I know what I heard, perhaps you didn't watch every minute of JA on TV and missed it?

Let me guess, did she also 'not' say vaccination reduces the spread?

Did the MOH TV advertisements also 'not' say 'covid you're out of here' while advocating vaccination?

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by  Zwifter  |  1st Oct 23, 5:05pm 1696133153

One way of trying to get out of the rest of the debates I guess.

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by  Baywatch  |  1st Oct 23, 6:44pm 1696139097

Luxy must be gagging for it following your logic? 

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by  IT GUY  |  1st Oct 23, 5:29pm 1696134546

Oh Dear, How Sad, Never mind.....

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by  Nifty1  |  1st Oct 23, 5:33pm 1696134798

Time for a quick lock down? It worked for them before...

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by  Foxglove.  |  1st Oct 23, 5:56pm 1696136186

Inoculated, boostered, but not busted?

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by  Kate  |  1st Oct 23, 7:22pm 1696141343

Yep, same here.  Son brought it with him from overseas - thinks it was the crowded NZ customs area :-).

I did the Paxlovid thing - but my husband (who also got it) couldn't, due to it being contraindicated with other meds he's on.  The metallic taste in your mouth is annoying (totally spoils your appetite), but I never got the COVID symptoms like my husband - so, thought it quite worth it. 

He was miserable for a long time as his COVID symptoms lingered for nearly two months.

Oddly enough - we were booked in for our third booster the week following going down with it. Bad timing.

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by  Foxglove.  |  1st Oct 23, 8:20pm 1696144809

Still a lottery isn’t it. Travelled this year USA & Ireland & USA again. 10 weeks in all. As with at home, remain covid free. No more long haul travel for me now, stamina not good enough. Glad got a few boxes ticked though. Covid quite a worry,  lungs not so good from a joust with pneumonia some years ago. 

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by  Kate  |  1st Oct 23, 9:28pm 1696148928

Yeah, it's definitely a luck-of-the-draw thing.  We've got one more long-haul to visit rellies in the US and that's us for good.  Happy to do short-haul Fiji, Aussie and Raro thereafter - and maybe Tahiti on our 50th anniversary, as that's where we met.  Glad you ticked off those boxes - hope you enjoyed the US and Ireland! 

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by  Foxglove.  |  2nd Oct 23, 7:35am 1696185358

Sad to say found our old locality in Sth Jersey a lot different than twenty years ago when we lived there. A lot of the fun & good nature seems to have gone out of the society. Things have hardened & toughened up. Talking to our old neighbours & friends put it down to Covid & its financial impact, the divisiveness that Trump has compounded  but most of all the escalation in drug fuelled crime. Folk are not actually scared out there, but have become much more watchful & defensive. Really glad we got to enjoy great people & times when we had the chance though.

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by  jakenz  |  2nd Oct 23, 10:38am 1696196302

You seem like an intelligent person... and then suggest that a third booster would have made a difference...

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by  Waikatohome  |  1st Oct 23, 5:55pm 1696136125

Lucky he got it now. ACT plan to cut sick leave to 5 days, so he would have none left after this bout of Covid. ACT trying hard to be the nasty party. They are even stealing a day of summer. 

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by  IT GUY  |  1st Oct 23, 6:45pm 1696139118

yeah david is personally responsible for destroying his vot from only confidence not supply to this crap jan 2 hol going.....      I might as well vote for winnie....           real change (thats appropriate)

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by  Foxglove.  |  1st Oct 23, 6:55pm 1696139711

Now that WP/NZF is definitely on the scene, among our social contacts, there is a thought going on move to shore up National, two blue ticks, and that motivation is at the expense of ACT.  As well WP’s publicity likely pulling votes from the left, as a perceived handbrake now on the right, and it might well be ACT & NZF end up not that far apart on representation. 

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by  JohnfromtheTron  |  2nd Oct 23, 7:53am 1696186411

Watched Q+A as I like to watch WP being interviewed, but it looked like he had nothing. Couldn't answer questions on his own party policies and was completely owned by Jake Tame. Never seen him like that before. Looks like he's past it and out of touch. Yep, two blue ticks for me now. 

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by  Flying high  |  2nd Oct 23, 5:51am 1696179088

Gotcha questions from no nuts Tame with his squeaky voice and childish manner

I've never seen anything so bad 

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by  Macawsley  |  2nd Oct 23, 6:32am 1696181557

Yep watching  poor Winston 1st being absolutely dealt to by the childish, no nuts, squeaky voiced Tame must have been galling for his supporters.

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by  Foxglove.  |  2nd Oct 23, 7:41am 1696185663

Something rather effete there isn’t there. 

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by  solardb  |  2nd Oct 23, 8:29am 1696188554

Winston has definitely got a bit confused but the interview was a win for him. The people who will vote for him will see it as him giving it to the young "woke" smartie type, that have ruined the country.and of course the mainstream media who are picking on him.

The loser is National, who have to deal with him, and Act, losing votes to him.

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by  Cheetahlegs66  |  1st Oct 23, 8:33pm 1696145599

Good. Try running a small business with staff entitled and often taking 5+ sick days/year. It’s a leeches paradise with our labour laws.

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by  Waikatohome  |  1st Oct 23, 9:09pm 1696147798

I’ve never regarded the staff in our company as leeches. If they are sick they should be supported in getting back to full health. Generally if you treat your staff well they are more loyal and more engaged in their work. They also deserve a summer holiday with their families.

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by  Cheetahlegs66  |  1st Oct 23, 9:17pm 1696148241

Is your company privately owned by yourself, and do you pay for more than 5 sick days?

 

I work in a corp and get 10 days which accrue if unused. I think it’s wrong and overly generous. Happy if the company reduced it to 5.

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by  nzphoenix  |  2nd Oct 23, 1:10am 1696162249

Hopefully you never get sick then. 

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by  Flying high  |  2nd Oct 23, 5:53am 1696179207

Just sick of the greedy attitudes

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by  Macawsley  |  2nd Oct 23, 7:06am 1696183589

You sound like an absolute delight to work for.

No wonder you have trouble attracting decent leeches.

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by  Cheetahlegs66  |  2nd Oct 23, 12:53pm 1696204439

I'll call you out then:

So you would have offered your employees more than 5 days sick leave when the statutory minimum was 5 days?

Why don't you offer them an extra week of annual leave? Make it 5 weeks? Hadn't thought of that.

When we owned a motel we typically paid above market rates and had a great group of cleaners/staff. When the business was sold they put on a morning tea for us. Guess we were miserable pricks.

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by  K.W.  |  1st Oct 23, 6:31pm 1696138306
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by  Cheetahlegs66  |  1st Oct 23, 8:31pm 1696145464

The vagaries of time.

In 2-weeks it would be ‘Ex PM Chris Hipkins has tested positive for COVID-19.’

Despite being a self conceited prick I don’t wish ill on anybody. But it’s a marginal call with this turkey and a relatively innocuous virus. Pity it’s not norovirus.

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by  solardb  |  1st Oct 23, 11:37pm 1696156660

Carmen Sepuloni stepping into the leaders debate might make it more interesting. 

Might pay off for Labour amongst female voters. 

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by  interesting1234  |  2nd Oct 23, 8:00am 1696186811

Sorry Chippy but the public no longer buy the war in Ukraine, or Covid viable excuses, Cindy and Robbo already thrashed them. If you needed a break because you are playing with the big boys then you're going to get a very long one after the election regardless.

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by  Brutus Iscariot  |  2nd Oct 23, 11:33am 1696199610

Who gives a shit. He should have followed the golden rule - don't test, ignorance is bliss. There are no rules now.

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