Auckland Hospital doctors have been told to prepare to be drafted into other roles if Omicron hits hard.
The hospital expects up to a quarter of its staff could be off work at the same time with Covid 19 when the outbreak takes off.
Staff have been told they might have to work outside their normal jobs to fill gaps in other parts of the hospital.
A memo from senior management says employees might be asked to return to work five days after testing positive for Covid and they should be prepared for the cancellation of any leave.
Dalton says people could end up working outside of their specialty, which will need careful oversight.
"There are limits to what people can safely do outside of their own scope "
