The Ministry of Health is issuing a warning over the Easter long weekend to be prepared if you become a household contact and are away from home.
The warning comes as 9563 new cases were confirmed across the country on Thursday, 329 in the Nelson Marlborough Region.
MOH warns that you would need to self-isolate and likely remain wherever you test positive or become a household contact, so there may be extra costs involved in paying for additional accommodation and changing your travel plans.
If you have used your own vehicle to travel, you can travel back to your home to isolate, taking public health measures to ensure you don’t infect anyone on your way home – such as maintaining social distance and using self-service petrol stations.
However, if you have used public transport or travelled between islands, you won’t be able to isolate at your home. So it is important you have a plan and the ability to isolate where you are holidaying, if you need to do so.
There are three actions everyone can do to help protect themselves and others this Easter weekend.
Firstly – be up to date with vaccinations, including a booster if you’ve not yet had one. If you are planning to be away this long weekend, get boosted before you go.
Secondly – wear a mask. Masks are still required in many indoor settings. A good rule of thumb is to wear a mask in indoor public settings as we know that mask use halves the risk of spread of COVID-19. You must also wear a face mask on all flights and public transport, in taxi and ride-share services — unless you are exempt.
And thirdly – stay home and avoid others if you’re unwell, isolating or waiting for the results of a COVID-19 test.
