Covid-19 Local Government Response Unit Update – Monday 6 December 2021
Local Government Response Unit main page
Updated “Frequently Asked Questions” document
We have updated the Frequently Asked Questions document to incorporate recent questions received from local government. This document is available for use here: Frequently Asked Questions - 6 December 2021 (PDF, 603KB)
Some questions received from the sector are still being processed. We will update the Frequently Asked Questions document over time to include these questions.
Thank you for your ongoing patience and support through this fast moving and challenging legislative environment.
If you have feedback on the FAQ document, please send it through the LGCGcovid19response@dia.govt.nz inbox.
Traffic lights and Vaccine Passes – follow-up webinar
Taituarā is hosting a webinar that will feature the key points around the traffic light system and the vaccine pass. This is an opportunity to ask any further questions, in a space that has been set aside for free and frank questions and exchanges of views. The webinar is for Chief Executives and their HR managers.
If you have a question you’d like the panellists to answer you can pre-submit this by contacting raymond.horan@taituara.org.nz.
To register please go to https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_X7CPMMKwRVKm2FC7hO3wJg.
Evidence of vaccination for mandated workers
Where a vaccination mandate applies to workers, there are specific record-keeping obligations on employers. Checking the worker’s My Vaccine Pass is not sufficient for these roles.
There is more information on this in our attached FAQs, and on this webpage: My Vaccine Pass – work vaccination mandate — business.govt.nz.
Physiotherapy practices that operate within council facilities
Concerns have been raised about barriers to entry for physiotherapy practices based in other fitness facilities, including council gyms and pools.
Access to health services wholly or partly funded by government, regardless of users’ vaccination status, takes precedence over other access limits and requirements. More information about this is provided in the attached FAQs.
This also applies to other premises that people must enter to access a designated premise. The full list of designated premises is available in the following weblink: COVID-19 Public Health Response (Protection Framework) Order 2021 (SL 2021/386) 10 Meaning of designated premises – New Zealand Legislation.
Information on current cases, COVID-19 test sites and economic support
There are 135 new community cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand today. This includes 125 new cases in Auckland today, eight in Waikato and two in Canterbury (first announced yesterday).
There were 11,931 vaccines administered yesterday, 2711 first doses and 6757 second doses.
Available testing sites can be found on the Ministry of Health website: Available testing sites.
Locations of interest can be found at Locations of Interest. This is being updated as soon as information is available.
Economic assistance is available for those impacted by the lockdown, more information available on the COVID-19 website, including details of the Business Boost package .
COVID-19 Protection Framework guidance for local government
We have created guidance on implementing the COVID-19 Protection Framework for local government.
This guidance is available at Local-Government-Covid-Protection-Framework-guidance.pdf (dia.govt.nz).
This guidance has been created in collaboration with a group of chief executives on creating guidance for the implementation of the COVID-19 Protection Framework.
If you have feedback on this guidance, please sent it through the LGCGcovid19response@dia.govt.nz inbox.
Please share with us your approaches towards the COVID-19 Protection Framework
We would like to know how councils are implementing the COVID-19 Protection Framework in their organisations and communities. This will help us to collate information, and build a resource that will assist consistency of application across the sector (shared approach) and inform our ongoing guidance development.
If you would like to share your council’s thinking and application of the new protection framework, please email them to us at LGCGcovid19response@dia.govt.nz.
