Following the Government announcement today, Wellington City Council can confirm the status of its services and facilities as the region moves into Alert Level 2 at 6pm tonight until 11.59pm Sunday 27 June.

Under Alert Level 2, most of Council’s services and facilities will remain the same, but contact tracing and some restrictions will be in place to keep staff and the community safe.

Ministry of Health guidelines for Alert Level 2 include:

• Washing your hands regularly and thoroughly, with soap and water for 20 seconds or more
• Coughing and sneezing into your elbow
• Staying at home if you are unwell. If you are sick call your GP or Healthline to book a free COVID-19 test, and get tested if asked
• Keep your distance when outside your home. You should keep a distance of at least: 2 metres in public and in retail stores, like supermarkets and clothes shops, 1 metre in most other places like workplaces, cafes, restaurants and gyms
• Wear a mask on public transport at all times, and consider wearing a mask if you are in a place or space that makes social distancing difficult
• Ensure you download and are using the Government’s COVID Tracer App and turn on Bluetooth and scan or manually register your details.

We are discouraging the use of cash at Council facilities – please use EFTPOS or other contactless payments.

Compulsory contact tracing will be in place through the Government’s COVID-19 app or details will be collected at reception areas.

Key information about facilities and services at Alert Level 2:

Pools and Recreation:

• All our pools and recreation centres remain open
• Please keep at least 1m physical distancing for pools, gyms and recreation centres
• Club Active is open
• Group Fitness classes at Freyberg are cancelled
• Group Fitness classes are continuing at WRAC with reduced numbers – booking required
• All other programmes and classes will continue with some restrictions in place
• For more information about all pools and recreation centres at Alert Level 2 visit wellington.govt.nz/recreation.

Waste, rubbish and recycling:

• Rubbish and recycling collection services are operating as usual.
• The Southern Landfill is open but with restrictions in place.
• The Transfer Station, which is still under repair and only open weekends, will be at a reduced capacity by 50% to allow for social distancing, and the kiosk will be contactless payment where possible.
• The Tip Shop and Recycling Centre are open. Recycling drop-off at the Recycling Centre will be delineated to allow for social distancing.
• Contact tracing will be in place and Landfill users will have their vehicle registrations noted for this purpose alone.

Libraries:

• All Library branches remain open with hygiene measures in place, but will all close early at 6pm tonight for set up and cleaning. Please visit wcl.govt.nz for more information.
• Please check in when you arrive - please stay at least 2m apart from other visitors and staff.
• We are limiting the number of visitors to meet social distancing requirements, so please follow guidance from our staff.
• Please keep visits to under 30 mins while we’re limiting the number of visitors too.
• All events and programming, including the Hive Makerspace, are closed.

Parking enforcement:

• Motorists are expected to pay for parking in the city – and enforcement will continue.

Building Inspections:

• We will be conducting inspections on building consents as usual in Alert Level 2. Sites must have all measures and protocols in place in accordance with MBIE construction sector guidance and NZ COVID-19 Construction protocols.

Resource Consents:

• Person-to-person pre-application meetings with a planning technician are not available but are available virtually through MS Teams.
• For new resource consent applications, and non-resource consent applications we encourage you to apply online.
• We will be monitoring resource consents as usual in Alert Level 2. Sites must have all measures and protocols in place in accordance with MBIE construction sector guidance and NZ COVID-19 Construction protocols
• Where safe, we will be investigating environmental complaints in Alert Level 2. All COVID-19 precautions and protocols will be adhered to.

Public Health:

• Registration and verification visits at food premises will be cancelled this week. All other work will be carried out as normal with staff wearing face masks where appropriate.
• This weekend’s pop-up dog registration event will be cancelled.

General:

• Harbourside Market: We will be making a decision on Thursday regarding the Harbourside Market, and whether it will go ahead on Sunday in a reduced capacity.
• Council committee meetings will continue to meet in chambers, with appropriate distancing and precautions in place. They will be available to view through Council’s YouTube channels.
• Up to 100 people can attend a funeral, tangihanga, kawe/hari mate or unveiling ceremony/hura kōhatu.
• Escooters can operate at Level 2, but will be following strict hygiene protocols including regular sanitising.
• Hospitality businesses must keep groups of customers separated, seated, and served by a single person with a maximum of 100 people at a time.
• Most of our community centres will remain open at Alert Level 2. Please contact your local centre to confirm before you visit, and for information about courses and programmes.
• Toi Pōneke arts centre will be open.
• Masks are mandatory on all public transport, including the Cable Car.
• At this stage, Council is encouraging those who can work from home for the next three days to do so. However, Ministry of Health guidelines will be adhered to by those who need to go into work.

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