Councils have revealed which of their services will be accessible to those who remain unvaccinated at the end of this week.
The country moves into a new phase of Covid-19 protection from Friday 3 December.
The new framework incorporates a three-stage traffic light system, which will provide more freedoms to those who are fully vaccinated.
Today there are one hundred and fourty-six new cases of Covid with one new case in Nelson-Tasman.
The new case in Nelson is in addition to yesterday's three but added to the tally today, director general of health Ashley Bloomfield said.
The first case in Nelson was someone who had symptoms for a "wee while" so there was a period of time that they were infectious in the community.
Genome sequencing will determine how they got infected. There was another person not associated with the first case - from yesterday - who wasn't linked and they were following that up.
That person had workplace and household contacts that were isolating.
Nelson City and Tasman District Councils revealed this week that access to all council run pools will be with a My Vaccination Pass(MVP) only.
Some campgrounds will also restrict entry to those who are fully vaccinated. Libraries and customer service centres will remain open to everyone.
From Friday, Nelson Tasman will be at the Orange level of the new system, along with the rest of the South Island, and many places in the North Island.
NCC incident management team leader Alec Louverdis said the guidelines for council facilities were not set in stone, and subject to change depending on the Covid-19 situation.
“People can likely expect to see changes in approach over the coming months, and while we acknowledge that people may have differing opinions on the most effective strategies, we ask that you treat staff, volunteers and anyone else in the community responsible for administering these rules with kindness and respect.
“Our role now is to ensure people can access our facilities while remaining protected from Covid-19. In some cases that will mean requiring a vaccine pass, but where a service is essential for all, we will rely on measures we are all familiar with, such as continued physical distancing and mask wearing.”
TDC ceo Janine Dowding says moving into the traffic light system is going to mean a period of adjustment for us all – those providing services and those accessing them.
"As a provider of public and essential services, we’re committed to keeping our services and facilities accessible to as many people as possible while complying with the public health requirements of the Orange traffic light setting.
"All our Council Customer Service Centres, libraries and most Council-owned community and recreation centres will be open and won’t require a vaccine pass for entry.
"However, a small number of our multi-use venues will require a vaccine pass, including the Richmond Aquatic Centre.
"This is going to be a learning curve for all of us. Just like everyone else living, working and operating in the traffic light system, we will be doing our very best to navigate this new environment. It’s not always going to be easy and I ask that people please be mindful of that. We expect our staff to be calm and respectful in all their interactions and we ask the same in return from everyone accessing our services and facilities."
Council facilities and how they will operate:
Customer service centres and libraries
All council customer service offices and libraries in Nelson, Richmond, Motueka, Takaka and Murchison will be open without the need for My Vaccine Pass (MVP) for entry.
However, a vaccine pass will be required for events, programmes, and any close contact library services, such as book a librarian at Nelson libraries.
All Nelson City Council libraries will continue to require masks to be worn at all times, and physical distancing of 1m.
Pools, gyms and community and recreation centres
Motueka Recreation Centre will be open with the following restrictions – groups will be limited to 50 people in each room to maintain 1 metre distancing with masks needed except when exercising. Entry into the gym within the facility will require a MVP.
Moutere Community Centre will be open with the following restrictions – groups will be limited to 50 people in each room to maintain 1 metre distancing with masks needed except when exercising. Entry into the gym will be through the external door only and require a MVP.
Golden Bay Recreation Centre will be open with the following restrictions – groups will be limited to 50 people in each room to maintain 1 metre distancing with masks needed except when exercising.
Murchison Community Centre will be open with the following restrictions – groups will be limited to 50 people in each room to maintain 1 metre distancing with masks needed except when exercising.
The Richmond Aquatic Centre as a multi-use facility with a gym and a café will require a MVP for entry.
Riverside Pool cannot be separated from the Riverside Gym, which means vaccine passes are mandatory.
For the sake of consistency across Nelson and Tasman, Nayland Park Pool will also require a vaccine pass.
Campgrounds (Council owned or managed)
All three of the campgrounds in Nelson (Brook Valley Holiday Park, Maitai Valley Motor Camp and Tahunanui Beach Holiday Park) have long-term occupants, who are not required to have a vaccine pass to access the place they live.
At Orange level this means a vaccine pass is not required at all campgrounds, but there is a requirement for 1m physical distancing.
Pohara, Motueka Top 10 and Murchison campgrounds will require a MVP to enter and stay.
Council campgrounds at Collingwood, Kina and McKee Domain will be open with distancing and mask wearing protocols in force.
While playgrounds, parks, reserves and cemeteries are open, distancing and mask wearing protocols should be observed.
Community Halls
The hirer of the facility is responsible for the management of the restrictions.
Founders Heritage Park
As Founders is largely an outdoor venue, a vaccine pass will not be required for entry, but 1m physical distancing and masks will be required.
This will not apply during events as the park can accommodate more people than usual. For all events at Founders, a vaccine pass will be required. Organisers of events will be required to provide Council with a health and safety plan.
A vaccine pass will be required for Founders Café.
Isel and Broadgreen House
Both of these heritage houses are run by volunteers. To protect their health, both facilities will require vaccine passes to enter. A 1m physical distancing rule and mask wearing will also apply.
Waahi Taakaro Golf Club
The golf course is a public utility and will not require a vaccine pass to play. As a retail venue the golf shop will require 1m physical distancing and may decide to require vaccine passes.
Wakapuaka Chapel/Crematorium
Vaccine pass requirements are at the discretion of the hirer or funeral director. If vaccine passes are used there are no limits, but masks are strongly encouraged. Without vaccine passes the chapel will require 1m physical distancing and will have a capacity limit of 25 people.
Venues
Council venues will follow event guidance from central government. The following venues will all require a vaccine pass:
• Trafalgar Centre
• Trafalgar Pavilion
• Trafalgar Park
• Greenmeadows
• Saxton Stadium
• Saxton Oval
Marina Facilities and Office
As people live aboard their boats at the marina, it is not practical to require vaccine passes to use Marina facilities. A 1m physical distancing rule will apply and mask wearing is strongly encouraged.
The marina office will not require a vaccine pass, but only one person can enter at a time, due to limits on space.
Pascoe Street Kiosk (waste/recycling)
The transfer station kiosk is an important community service and will not require a vaccine pass. Kiosk users should remain in their car and pay using a contactless method only. Mask wearing is strongly encouraged.
Citizenship Ceremonies
Ceremonies in the Council chamber will be classified as events due to the numbers that will be gathering in a confined space. This means a vaccine pass will be required, and mask-wearing will be strongly encouraged.
Public engagement meetings and events
Any Nelson council-organised meeting where Council is engaging with the community on a project, for example, will be considered an event and therefore a vaccine pass, physical distancing and masks will be required.
As with the COVID-19 Alert Level System, Council will update the community with new guidelines should we move to a different colour, or if there is a change for any other reason.
For more information about the COVID-19 Protection Framework visit: https://covid19.govt.nz/traffic-lights/covid-19-protection-framework/
For local information regarding COVID-19 visit: https://www.nmdhb.govt.nz/quicklinks/about-us/emergency-management-and-planning/covid-19/
