Vaccine pass policy will stay as Omicron’s surge keeps going

Vaccine passes are still required at most Waipa¯ District Council-owned or managed public facilities and buildings, but residents can be assured this policy is being reviewed regularly, says council chief executive Garry Dyet.

Garry said while the decision to implement the policy hadn’t been an easy one, it was based on the health and safety of council’s frontline staff, to protect those vulnerable in the community, and to ensure council’s ability to continue to deliver services.

“A major consideration in putting the policy in place was to ensure we could continue to have enough staff to run services. Currently, we are close to having to reduce services in some areas due to the unavailability of staff who are isolating at home, so now is not the time to lower our guard.

“I think everyone agrees that the last two years of this pandemic have been hard for everyone. We all want to get to the point where we can welcome everyone back into our facilities, however, the time is not right yet as we are in the midst of the Omicron wave. We are reviewing the status of the policy every two weeks,” says Garry.

The policy, put in place from December 13, means anyone over 12 years and three months needs to have their vaccine pass sighted for entry to Te Awamutu Library, Cambridge Library, Te Awamutu Museum, council buildings including front counters and meeting spaces, council-managed community halls, and council dog control facilities.

The Perry Aquatic Centre and Te Awamutu Events Centre are both managed by GoWaipa, which has its own vaccine pass policy in place.

Garry acknowledges the work put in by council staff to set up alternative services for those without a vaccine pass, including click-and-collect and online services.

For more information on the Waipa¯ District Council vaccine pass policy for its public facilities and buildings, check out waipadc.govt.nz/ our-services/civildefence/ current-civil-defenceemergency/life-at-red