An additional 48 hours at COVID-19 Alert Level 2 for the Greater Wellington region, including the Kāpiti Coast, is a sensible precaution and the right call given that we aren’t out of the woods just yet, says Kāpiti Coast District Mayor K Gurunathan.

While no new community transmission has been detected following last weekend’s visiting positive case, confirmation that the visitor has the highly transmittable Delta variant and their partner returning a positive result after initially testing negative, shows that moving back to Alert Level 1 would be like declaring victory at halftime.

“I know we’ve all been breathing sighs of relief at the announcements each day of no new community cases but we only have to turn on the news to see just how quickly and silently this COVID variant can spread through a community,” says Mayor Gurunathan.

“One thing that the Minister of Health highlighted today as a factor that would give him greater confidence that the virus isn’t lurking in the region is getting our testing numbers up.

“Call Healthline on 0800 358 5453 to book a test if you were at a location of interest during the specified timeframes, or if you have symptoms of COVID-19 which include a new or worsening cough, a fever of at least 38°C, shortness of breath, sore throat, sneezing and runny nose, or a temporary loss of smell.”

Mayor Gurunathan says that it’s heartening to see so many people using the COVID Tracer app to log their movements when they’re out and about and acknowledges the additional measures that local businesses are undertaking to keep their staff and customers safe.

Kāpiti Coast District Council services and facilities will continue to operate under Alert Level 2 guidance until 11.59pm Tuesday 29 June. This restricts visitor numbers at some facilities and supports physical distancing requirements.

For detailed guidance on Council’s services at Alert Level 2, see www.kapiticoast.govt.nz/covid19/.

The Greater Wellington region boundary for Alert Level 2 includes Ōtaki, Waikawa Beach, Manakau, Wairarapa and the Kāpiti Coast. You can check the status of specific addresses on the Government’s Alert Level boundary map.

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