New Zealand to remain in lockdown 

Auckland and Northland will remain at Alert Level 4 until at least 11.59 pm on Tuesday 31 August 2021. Cabinet will meet on Monday 30 August 2021 to consider how long Auckland and Northland will remain in Alert Level 4 before these settings are reviewed again. Alert Level 4 | Unite against COVID-19 (covid19.govt.nz) 

The Prime Minister has announced that all New Zealand south of the Auckland boundary will move to Alert Level 3 from 11.59 pm on Tuesday, 31 August 2021. These settings will be reviewed following public health risk assessments, and Cabinet will meet again on Monday 6 September 2021. 

It is a good idea to remind yourselves of what is expected of us for Level 3 and keep up to date on the official information from the MOH (Ministry of Health) website. Alert Level 3 | Unite against COVID-19 (covid19.govt.nz)  

We are getting into the lockdown rhythm, but it can be an intense experience for many of us. Please make sure you look at each other, and with this extended period of lockdown, let us all remember to be kind and stay safe.  

If you received this email from a friend and want to subscribe, please do. You can subscribe to the Disability Directorate newsletter here, where you will also find our previous newsletters.  

Thanks for everything that you are doing.  

 
Nga Mihi   

Adri Isbister   

Disability Directorate COVID-19 update as of 9:00 am 28 August 2021

Today we want to keep you informed of: 

• Alert Level 3 all New Zealand south of the Auckland boundary: stay at home, stay local  

• Disability Services Operating at Alert Level 4 

• Disability Services Operating at Alert Level 3 

• Advice for in-home carers 

• Carer Support 

• Travel across and within Alert Level Boundaries​

• National PPE and critical medical supply chain 

Alert Level 3 all New Zealand south of the Auckland boundary: stay at home, stay local 

There are only slight differences in restrictions between Alert Level 4 and Alert Level 3. It is most important to stay home, exercise locally and limit movement.  

At Alert Level 3, people who cannot work from home can safely return to work if they follow public health guidance. Delta is more infectious and moves faster, so businesses and services need to take further precautions to operate safely, including face coverings, record keeping through the COVID Tracer App or manual records, and keeping 2m physical distancing. 

Businesses and Services that meet Alert Level 3 requirements can open. If your business involves physical contact, it cannot open – for example, hairdressers, personal trainers, driving instructors and tattoo parlours. 

People will shop online or by phone for any goods – but customers cannot personally go into a store or business. 

Some limited businesses are opening at Alert Level 3 to allow customers on-premises with 2m physical distancing, such as butchers, greengrocers, and fishmongers. If you go into a store, employees and customers wear face coverings, keep 2m apart, and customers record their visit/scan the NZ COVID Tracer App. 

In addition to more businesses being permitted to open, there are some minor changes, including gatherings for weddings and funerals and tangihanga for up to 10 people, and some additional recreation activities if it is minimal risk and with people from your household bubble. 

Disability Services Operating at Alert Level 4  

If services can be provided (including digitally) within alert level restrictions, they are contractually required to do so.     

Aged residential care and disability residential care are essential services and must continue to be available.      

Essential personal care services, such as assistance with toileting, washing and eating, should be provided as usual.  

Essential home help, such as house cleaning, is or should be available where appropriate PPE is used.  

Planned respite services will be suspended, but urgent respite care may be provided. We can provide some flexibility for paying secondary carers for respite.  

Essential supported living services can continue.  

Support persons are permitted under right 8 of the Health and Disability Code.     

For aged residential care, hospices and disability residential care, family visits are not permitted.     

Under Alert Level 4, there are no exemptions for end-of-life visits.  

For more details about Alert Level 4, see: Alert Level 4 | Unite against COVID-19 (covid19.govt.nz) 

Disability Services Operating at Alert Level 3 

If services can be provided within alert level restrictions, they are contractually required to do so.  

Disability residential care will continue as usual. 

Essential personal care services, such as toileting, washing and feeding, will be provided as usual. 

Some home help, such as house cleaning, may be available. 

Planned respite services will be suspended, but urgent respite care may be provided. 

Essential supported living services will continue. 

Family visits for residents in a hospice are allowed, but on a case-by-case basis, subject to public health direction and the hospice's assessment. 

Any visitors will need to discuss with disability providers. Controlled visits with agreed and named family and whānau and close friends are allowed. A maximum of one visitor at any one time may visit the disabled person in their home. 

In aged residential care, only family visits for end of life/palliative care residents will be considered on a case-by-case basis. 

For more details about Alert Level 3, see: Alert Level 3 guidance for disability support services (health.govt.nz) 

Advice for in-home carers 

Any person who enters a home to provide care should: 

• stay home if they are sick and get tested if they have any COVID-19 symptoms 

• Always practice good hygiene 

• maintain physical distancing where possible 

• use personal protective equipment (PPE) as appropriate 

•  keep a record of their visit for contact tracing purposes. 

In-home carers are strongly advised to get vaccinated. Those who have not been vaccinated and would like to be can book themselves on the Book My Vaccine website. 

Employers of in-home carers must have appropriate guidelines and systems to keep staff safe in the workplace; this includes following the proper workplace health and safety guidelines and notifying a carer if the person they are visiting is sick. 

Carer Support 

Carer Support reimburses some of the costs of using a support person to care for and support a disabled person; this means their carer can take some time out for themselves. 

You can continue to use your Carer Support more flexibly so that: 

• relief care can be used when you are doing your other paid work (even if you are working from home) 

• You can use your Carer Support funding to buy things that will provide you with a break. Examples are art and craft supplies, books, or DVDs. 

If you have not received relief care but have purchased something to give you a break, you do not need a signature from a relief carer on your Carer Support forms. Payments will continue to be made in half days or days as usual. 

Over COVID-19 Alert Levels 3 and 4, the Ministry of Health will accept 4 and 3 Carer Support forms by email to csclaims@health.govt.nz. 

Travel across and within Alert Level Boundaries​​

Movement between alert level boundaries will be restricted. There will be Police check points to stop unnecessary travel. New Zealanders should continue to ensure their movement is for essential purposes only. An Alert Level Boundary separates areas of New Zealand that are at different Alert Levels. Businesses need to provide their staff with proof of eligibility to travel across an Alert Level Boundary, such as the documentation generated by MBIE’s Business Travel Register. 

Here is information on the process of applying for your Business Travel Documents. Business travel across Alert Level Boundaries — business.govt.nz 

Re-applying for Business Travel Documents 

You will not be able to re-use the travel documents that you applied for during previous Alert Level changes and will need to reapply for new documents. 

Businesses who have previously applied for travel documents will find that when they log in to their Business Connect account, their details will be saved from the previous application. Businesses are responsible for reviewing and updating this information to ensure that it is current before they submit their new application. 

For personal travel across an alert level boundary, please go to Unite Against COVID 

Requests for exemption to support travelling within Alert Level Boundaries  

Under Alert Level 4 you are already able to undertake essential travel, which includes 

• accessing essential services such as chemists and supermarkets
• exercising within your neighbourhood or to travel to a place where you will exercise
• going to get tested, vaccinated, or to get medical care

As the following forms of travel are already permitted, there is no need for an exemption process for them 

• going to work, if you are required to as part of an essential service - if you are travelling to work as an essential worker, your employer can provide you with a letter outlining that that is the case
• supporting a member of your family/whānau/āiga who needs to travel to support their health and wellbeing -if you are a family member travelling to provide support to someone in your family/whānau/āiga, you are able to travel without an exemption letter.

National PPE and critical medical supply chain 

The Ministry's national Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and critical medical supply chain have good PPE stocks, with at least eight weeks of reserves to meet pandemic demand. 

Our national PPE supply chain currently holds close to 17 million N95/P2 particulate respirators, 275 million medical masks, 17 million isolation gowns, 1.6 million face shields, 271 million nitrile gloves, and good volumes of hand sanitiser, disinfectant wipes, and other items of PPE utilised across the health and disability sector. 

We also continue to confirm orders and receive shipments of more PPE every week. We are aware of freight delays currently being widely reported and are working with our government partners to minimise any impacts. 

Our National PPE and Critical Medical Supply Chain team reviews DHB (District Health Board) stock-on-hand for other items where there may be at-risk supplies. Letters of the expedition have been furnished to all suppliers where consumables are in backlog or shortage. 

We can expect demand for PPE to drop back over the next week as it is likely that the initial request involved a lot of ordering up. 

Since Tuesday, 17 August 2021, we have distributed 40 million items of PPE for use in the health and disability sector.