From Friday 3 December, Tauranga City Council will require people to present Vaccine Passes upon entry to its public facilities, as the city moves into the new COVID-19 Protection Framework at Orange.

Only people who are double-vaccinated and have the official My Vaccine Pass will be able to enter a number of council’s public facilities.

Commission Chair Anne Tolley said this move was to protect our community, customers and staff by limiting opportunities for COVID-19 to spread.

“In making this decision there were many factors to consider. We want to keep facilities open to everyone, but we also have a responsibility to keep our people safe and protect the public,” she said. “Libraries and community facilities attract a significant number of people who are vulnerable to the COVID-19 virus and after consideration and a risk assessment, we believe this is the right approach to take.”

This means visitors to council facilities, as well as council staff, must wear a face covering and show their My Vaccine Pass or a vaccine exemption from the Ministry of Health, at the point of entry for staffed public facilities, including:

• Customer service centres and Council Chambers
• Libraries, including the mobile library
• Bay Venues-managed facilities such as Trustpower Baypark, Baywave and other public pools as well as recreation and community centres (see more information on the Bay Venues website)
• Baycourt Community and Arts Centre
• Tauranga Art Gallery

The requirement for vaccine certificates at Council facilities will not apply to those aged under 12 years and 3 months.

“Our team will also continue to offer alternative online channels to deliver services remotely. In particular, those who wish to speak at public meetings, but are not vaccinated, will be able to arrange to attend the meeting by audio-visual link.”

Council meetings will continue to be live-streamed.

Events in public open spaces are to be managed by the organisers of the events, under the COVID-19 Protection Framework event guidelines.

“We understand this will create difficulties for some people and it is not a decision we have taken lightly. With the ‘traffic light’ changes coming into play tomorrow, we strongly encourage people to get vaccinated and to show tolerance and understanding towards others and council staff.”

For more information about facilities at Orange please visit www.tauranga.govt.nz/covid-19

Further details will be added to this page as council works through these changes across the organisation, in accordance with the government’s advice.

“With confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Tauranga community, it’s never been more important to take all precautions to keep yourself, your whānau and others safe.”

“Please keep wearing face coverings, socially distance, maintain good hygiene, use the NZ COVID-19 tracer app and get tested if you have any symptoms or have been in a location of interest.”

The Ministry of Health website is regularly updated with new locations, including any council venues/facilities.

People who are not able to access their Vaccine Pass online can request this by phone on 0800 222 478.

© Scoop Media