Waikato Regional Council will require a My Vaccine Pass for entry to all its premises from 1 February 2022 under the Orange and Red settings of the COVID-19 Protection Framework.

The policy covers all staff, councillors, committee members, service providers and members of the public aged over 12 years and three months.

Waikato Regional Council Chief Executive Chris McLay said: “Under the Red setting it’s business as usual for us, but with increased safety measures. Our offices remain open to the public and staff, and council meetings continue to be a hybrid of in person and virtual.

“But we’ve been told Omicron is the most transmissible variant of COVID-19 yet, and now there is a growing number of cases across New Zealand. So we are taking a cautious approach to protect our staff and community.

“We believe this is the right thing to do for right now,” he said.

“We’re committed to protecting staff and members of the public from harm while undertaking our duties or while working on, or visiting our buildings, facilities and worksites and when undertaking field work or work in other places,” Mr McLay said.

“There are several ways we can protect ourselves and minimise the chances of getting COVID­-19, including the use of face coverings, physical distancing and good hygiene practices. But vaccination is the vital tool in the toolkit,” he said.

“With vaccination such a focus for our Government, and in turn our communities, we’re providing certainty around our approach to COVID-19 vaccinations for our people and the community with this policy.

“But I acknowledge it will be incredibly hard for some of our people,” Mr McLay said.

An anonymous staff survey in October found that 95 per cent were vaccinated or planning to be, while 3 per cent were not vaccinated and not planning to be, and 2 per cent preferred not to answer. The survey was completed by 532 people, or an estimated 84 per cent of all regional council staff.

For councillors affected by the My Vaccine Pass requirement, their ability to participate in governance decision making will be unaffected due to the ability to join all meetings virtually. Recordings will be published on the council’s website shortly after meetings are held, so members of the public will be able to watch and listen to the discussions and decisions of councillors: www.waikatoregion.govt.nz/council-meetings.

It’s possible councillors may discuss their position on mandatory vaccination at the 24 February meeting of council. This will enable time for the impacts of the fast-moving Omicron variant to be better understood.

“We are also looking at whether rapid antigen testing has a place in our toolkit. It may be added as a primary or secondary tool to help provide assurance of our safety at work in our premises. We will also monitor the use of PCR tests and what role these may play in the future for access to WRC work locations,” Mr McLay said.

© Scoop Media