Dear member / clinic owner, Please see the updated MoH advice on the use of N95 respirators in primary care – see also excerpt below. Employers, please note: “Employers have responsibilities under Health and Safety legislation to support and ensure appropriate use of protective equipment; in the case of P2/N95 respirators that includes fit testing" With best wishes, David Gollogly, Jasmine Mackay, Richard Chen, Kelvin Ward Pandemic Response Committee General practice and urgent medical care staff when having close interactions with a patient in a closed confined space such as a poorly ventilated examination or procedure room[1] in the following two situations: 1) When there is widespread community transmission, which will be defined and communicated by public health or When Alert Level changes to 3 or 4 AND With a patient presenting with potential symptoms of COVID-19*, including atypical symptoms, 2) With any person who meets the HIS criteria listed* and has potential symptoms of COVID-19*, including atypical symptoms, and is not fully immunised. * In the 14 days prior to illness onset the person has had: contact with a confirmed or probable case, worked on an international aircraft or shipping vessel or exited an MIQ Facility (excluding recovered cases). * https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-and-conditions/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-information-health-professionals/case-definition-and-clinical-testing-guidelines-covid-19 This update confirms that frontline healthcare staff in General Practice and Urgent Medical Care should assess the risk within their own practice environment. Where such risk is identified, they can then determine whether they should wear a P2/N95 respirator. [1] This may be the room that gets hot and stuffy during the warmer months and the window cannot be opened, or an internal room where there is no window to open and neither of these spaces has mechanical ventilation to improve ventilation.