COVID-19 Update #82 - 22 Whiringa-ā -Rangi 2021
Rāhina, 22 Whiringa-ā-.Rangi 2021
COVID-19 Update Pānui no. #82.
If you have symptoms of the coronavirus, call the NZ Covid-19 Healthline on 0800 358 5453
COVID-19 Pānui no. 82
E ngā kaihāpai i te hauora o te reo, o ā tātou mokopuna, whānau tēnā koutou katoa.
As we traverse through these uncertain times we hope that you are all well, and that no matter what, we continue to look out for each other. As Covid spreads across the motu, we need to ensure that we are prepared as a whānau for when Covid hits our whānau and what support mechanisms we have for kai, medicine and the essentials of living for at least 28 days. The higher vaccination rate means Covid-19 symptoms will be milder and more people will not require hospitalisation and will isolate at home.
Today the Prime Minister announced that we will be moving to the new Covid-19 protection framework at midnight, on the 2 of December 2021. Tāmaki Makaurau will have a trial run of the new Traffic Light System with Hairdressers and Barbers opening up for customers who have been vaccinated this Thursday 25 November 2021. The traffic light system operates on vaccine passes if whānau aren't fully vaccinated this may limit their movements or the services they are able to access, essential services are excluded.
In this pānui we have included the Ministry of Education updates, there is little change for Kōhanga Reo. For now the details of what the traffic light system means for early childhood and Kōhanga reo are currently been developed and will be shared as it becomes available.
The Kōhanga Reo National Trust continues to support vaccination for whānau and Kaimahi so that everyone can come back to Kōhanga reo for our mokopuna.
Iwi and rural areas have asked for travelers from major cities to be mindful when going home for holidays. Revitalising your wairua is important and is another reason to make sure that we are doing everything we can to protect our whakapapa.
For further information on the traffic light system and what it means for you and your whānau, please visit the Unite Against COVID website.
Nō reira kia kaha tonu tātou ki te tiaki i ā tātou.
All of Aotearoa will move to the new traffic light framework on December 2 Thursday at 11:59 pm.
Current situation
Today, there are 205 new cases in the community:
- 175 in Tāmaki Makaurau
- 20 in Waikato
- 4 in Northland
- 5 in Bay of Plenty
- 1 in Lakes
This brings our total community cases in the current outbreak to 7,054.
There are currently:
- 85 people in hospital
- 6 in ICU/HDU.
The average age of hospitalisations now sits at 48.
There is a new case to report today in the MidCentral region, which will be included in tomorrow’s case numbers. This person is based in Palmerston North and is linked to a previously reported case. The public health risk has been reported low as this person has been isolated since November 17. The Ministry of Health (MoH) encourages people with mild symptoms across Horowhenua, Manawatū, and Tararua to get tested as soon as possible.
Of today’s five new cases in the Bay of Plenty, four have been linked to existing cases in Mount Maunganui. Investigations are ongoing to determine any possible links between the remaining case and any known cases. Maintaining a high rate of testing in the Bay of Plenty will help to contain the spread of COVID-19.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern urges people to get vaccinated before the traffic light system comes into effect next Thursday, 2nd of December. Right now, 83% of eligible New Zealanders are fully vaccinated, but nearly 200,000, or 4.6% of the eligible population, are more than three weeks pass their first shot and are now due for their second. If you or your whānau are a part of that group, please book in for your second shot now.
A reminder that when Aotearoa moves into the new traffic light system next Thursday, Tāmaki Makaurau will enter the “red setting” and the rest of the motu colour settings will depend on their vaccination rates. Those with lower vaccination rates will likely join Tāmaki Makaurau at the highest setting, “red”.
Hei whakaoti i tēnei wāhanga, our thoughts and prayers go out to the whānau of the man in his 40s who passed away with COVID-19 at Middlemore Hospital in Tāmaki.
Vaccination Rates of Eligible People by DHB (with active cases)
- Northland DHB: 84% first dose and 74% second dose
- Tāmaki DHB: 93% first dose and 87% second dose
- Waikato DHB: 90% first dose and 81% second dose
- Bay of Plenty: 88% first dose and 79% second dose
- Lakes DHB: 86% first dose and 76% second dose
- Taranaki DHB: 89% first dose and 78% second dose
- MidCentral DHB: 91% first dose and 82% second dose
- Wairarapa DHB: 91% first dose and 81% second dose
- Capital & Coast: 94% first dose and 88% second dose
- Canterbury DHB: 94% first dose and 85% second dose
Māori Statistics to reach 90%
For the Māori roll-out, 819,966 of our whanau have received one or both doses of the vaccine. This is made up of 452,720 first doses (79%) and 367,246 second doses (64%).
Ministry of Education Updates
Changes to COVID-19 Saliva Testing Requirements
The MoH has signaled that it will change its position on saliva testing, which will be reduced from twice weekly to once a week, with no need for a follow-up nasal swab to confirm a positive saliva test result. Therefore, those who have chosen saliva testing to meet their testing requirements will only need one saliva test within a seven-day period, called surveillance testing this is a requirement for those in Alert level 3 only.
In ECE and Kōhanga Reo, these changes will become effective once changes are made to the Required Testing Order, which the MoH expects to complete by the end of November. Until this time, the current testing requirements remain in place. We will provide an update when the Required Testing Order has been amended.
Funding Reminders - EC12 exemption
ECE in the Upper Northland and parts of the Waikato that recently moved from Alert Level 3 to Alert Level 2, the EC12 exemption applies for the full period of Alert LEvel 3 and parts of Alert Level 2 until 30 November. This means services can use the EC12 exemption for permanently enrolled children who were absent.
Travel out of Tāmaki Makaurau Boundary
From December 15 (when Tāmaki Makaurau boundary reopens) permitted workers will either need proof of vaccination or proof of a test taken no more than seven days prior to crossing the boundary.
Pānui Reminders
All our pānui are uploaded to our Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust website. You can access our past pānui here.
Tikanga Haumaru
Alert Level 3, Step 2, for Tāmaki Makaurau
Kōhanga Reo can open and with bubble sizes of up to 20 mokopuna. Bubbles must be in separate rooms or spaces.
Changes can occur but only in certain circumstances, for example, when a mokopuna leaves to start kura.
They can then be replaced with a new tamaiti. You can also add new tamariki to bubbles that have not yet reached a maximum of 20 tamariki. Providing you can maintain the three square-metres per child indoor measurement and meet other public health measures.
A reminder of the existing layers of protection that remain a priority in Alert Level 3 Kōhanga:
- Staying away if sick and calling Healthline to determine whether you need a test
- Getting vaccinated for those who are eligible
- Good ventilation
- Physical distancing as much as it is practicable
- Good cough and sneeze etiquette, and
- Regular handwashing
Here are some resources for Kōhanga Reo at Alert Level 3, Step 2:
Tikanga Haumaru – Level 2 Basic Guidelines
- A maximum of 100 people for indoor and outdoor gatherings.
- Kōhanga Reo can open
- Face coverings are mandatory inside most public places
- You can travel to other rohe that are at Alert Level 2 or lower
- Maintain good hygiene practices
- Keep 2m distance in public and in retail stores. There must also be 2m distancing in most other places like workplaces, cafes, and restaurants
For any further assistance, ring 0800 KOHANGA or 0800 564 2642
Whaia te oranga i roto i te haumarutanga o te nohotahi.
Nāku noa,
Angus Hartley
Tumu Whakarae | Chief Executive
