Covid traffic light change: What you need to know

Some of the changes come into play this weekend.

The country's public health restrictions are being adjusted with scanning, vaccine passes and mandates on the way out.

The prime minister has outlined a raft of changes so here is a summary.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says New Zealand's successful management of the Omicron outbreak and high rates of vaccination mean it is now safe to ease the restrictions that have helped prevent widespread harm to people's health and economic damage.

She mapped out how things will change over the next two weeks, at a media briefing this morning.

Traffic light setting - The main points:

  • The traffic light system will be retained, in part to deal with possible new variants
  • The country remains at the red light setting which will be reviewed on 4 April and regularly after that
  • The isolation period remains at seven days
  • Gathering limits indoors will be lifted from 100 people to 200 with the rules on seating and separation to be retained.
  • All outdoor gathering limits will be axed - affecting sports and concerts
  • Outdoor face mask requirements will be removed
  • Scanning of QR codes will end
  • Businesses no longer need to display the code for scanning in
  • The above changes will take effect from 11.59pm on Friday

Ardern appeals to people not to delete the QR code from their phones in case it needs to be reintroduced in future.

She says businesses should stand ready to stand up QR codes again, in case of a new variant that evades vaccines or is more deadly, in which case contact tracing would once again play a more critical role.

"Scanning has been a really important part of what we've achieved, so thank you to everyone for playing your part."

Vaccine mandates and vaccine passes - the main points

  • Businesses will no longer need to inspect vaccine passes
  • All vaccine mandates will be removed, except for those working in the health and disability sector, aged care facilities, Corrections staff and border and MIQ workers
  • The decision means education, police and Defence Force will no longer need to mandate their workforces
  • The decisions above will take effect from 11.59pm on 4 April
  • There will be a review of the mandate in the health sector, so that the requirement for vaccinations may be narrowed to a smaller part of the workforce

Ardern says this is not the beginning of the end of Covid-19. It remains with us and will be for some time to come.

"We're making changes based on evidence to make it easier to live with and essentially to help continue to get us through as safely and as well as possible."

-RNZ.

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4 comments

Police and Defence force

Posted on 23-03-2022 13:37 | By an_alias

Come on the govt lost the case which said the mandates violated human rights. Lets not pretend they have given that back it was never lost. How about ask why we fired 1400 health workers going into a peak of Omicron ?


Scanning

Posted on 23-03-2022 14:08 | By Slim Shady

"scanning will end" lol. Err, no, it had already ended a couple of months ago, unless you particularly liked wasting your time for no reason whatsover. Which amazingly quite a few people did seem to do. To think, these people get to vote, yet appear to have no ability to think for themselves.


Amazing

Posted on 23-03-2022 16:27 | By FRANKS

What happens when poll results dont look so good for the govt.


More lies

Posted on 23-03-2022 18:16 | By Slim Shady

The PM, in her great justification speech, said mandates were needed and got us to 95% vaccinated, and they have gone because they have “done their job”, not because of protest. I’m afraid this is a falsehood because last week Mr. Ashley said you are now not considered fully vaccinated unless you are boosted. This is in line with Europe. So NZ is now only actually 73% vaccinated, not 95%. Plus some kids are not fully vaccinated. So why have mandates been removed when immunity is actually falling? Entirely because of protest / popularity / votes. Nothing to do with science because it goes in the opposite direction.


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