We cannot predict the future, but as Cook Islanders we can, should and always will hope and plan for the best, working to overcome each new challenge as it arises, writes Prime Minister Mark Brown.

Kia Orana,

Today I would like to talk about the future.

No one can really predict just what will happen tomorrow, next week, next month or next year – and the everchanging pandemic of the past two years, let alone the surprise invasion of Ukraine by Russia, have proven this fact to be especially true.

The Covid-19 pandemic has defied all attempts at accurately predicting its exact effects – medical, social, economic – with governments and their people the world over learning to live in a state of week-to-week and month-to-month uncertainty perhaps not seen on such a scale since the Second World War.

This does not mean however that we cannot continue to look towards the future with hope for brighter prospects further down the track, even as we also prepare ourselves for the possibility that new challenges will present themselves before we reach our goal.

With that in mind I would like to lay out for you all some of the plans Government has been discussing as we consider how to gradually ease various Covid-19 regulations and restrictions once our outbreak here in the Cook Islands has reached its peak.

As I have spoken about before, high on our list of priorities is how we might enable our essential and frontline workers to continue their vital work if and when they become household contacts of a positive Covid case.

Some are able to work online from home, and we are encouraging that wherever possible.

Depending on their home situation, others may also be able to adequately separate themselves from household members who have tested positive, or instead be temporarily housed elsewhere in alternative accommodation.

If approved, this would allow certain workers – subject to daily negative RAT tests – to continue their essential work while their positive case housemate or family member undergoes their isolation.

There is also the possibility that in some cases asymptomatic household contacts of positive cases may be permitted to return to work after only five or six days’ quarantine instead of seven – again, subject to daily negative RAT tests.

Another change we are looking at making – and one that many are looking forward to – is the resumption of contact sport.

We are undeniably a sporting nation, and I am personally a strong believer in the many positive outcomes – physical, mental, social – of healthy sporting competition on a regular basis.

The best advice from our health ministry Te Marae Ora is that now is not the time to restart our sporting competitions, but we are keeping a close eye on how we are managing our outbreak with a view to resuming our sports competitions in two weeks’ time.

We will be asking our sports codes and their administrators to look at how best they can resume competition while trying to keep infections contained, and I would be happy to hear any suggestions from you on how we can do this.

So to all our keen sportspeople – and supporters – out there, please be patient. We will have a full resumption of contact sports as soon as it is practicable to do so.

Another thing that I know has been causing some concern amongst our people – particularly parents – is how the outbreak has been affecting our children’s schooling so far this year.

While there was a delayed start to the academic year, and the number of school-aged children impacted by Covid-19 has been increasing, our schools remain open, and TMO is coordinating closely with the Ministry of Education to ensure that the learning environment can be sustained safely, for both students and staff.

Even though teachers are having to isolate for seven days when testing positive, the good news is that once they have done their seven days they are then able to get back to class without the need for further isolation, even if one of their household members later tests positive as well.

I know that our schools are trying to make sure that not everyone is isolating at the same time. If we can stagger the times that teachers are being made to isolate then that would be a big help in keeping the schools open and kids at school.

For parents – if your child was isolating and has finished their seven-day isolation, then please ensure they return to school so that they can continue with their learning and interact with their friends and teachers again.

As I said, we cannot predict the future, but as Cook Islanders we can, should and always will hope and plan for the best, working to overcome each new challenge as it arises.

While we continue our work in managing the Covid-19 outbreak in our country, rest assured that each passing day brings us closer to a return to normality and that is something we can all look forward to.

Kia Manuia.