Covid-19 NZ

Cabinet is poised to make a significant change to the pandemic rules, while also considering a memorial for the Queen.

They work for you, not the parties or people in power. People are a bit unsure of what they’re doing [and] you don’t get that internal enforcement.” Hospitalisations are also going down: On Friday, 243 people were in hospital with the virus. “All the evidence is around having something active in place that people are aware of, rather than trying to create something new.” Whatever your politics, we can all agree: New Zealand is better off when Kiwis are well-informed. Six people were reported as dying with the virus. “If you go down the street today and you go to the shop, a lot of people are not wearing masks,” he said. “I get very frustrated, a lot of this stuff was predicted, we know what the impacts are going to be and we didn’t prepare for it,” Hopkins said. Hopkins said the real issue with scrapping the framework was less to do with the legislation which underpins the rules and more to do with the levels of public compliance. If New Zealand were to drop to the green setting, it would be the biggest loosening of restrictions in more than a year. But Professor James Hopkins, who specialises in disaster law at the University of Canterbury, said tweaks to the traffic light system would be difficult because they would create public confusion and put a dent in compliance. Also up for discussion is the traffic light setting for controlling the spread of Covid-19, as the country moves to a potentially less dangerous phase of the pandemic.

All mask wearing requirements except in healthcare and aged care will be scrapped, and household contacts will no longer need to isolate, the government has ...

She says the government has been open to the idea of an independent inquiry into the response but is still getting advice about what that would look like. "As a nation, Covid has hurt us in many ways but perhaps the one we talk about less than others is the toll it's taken on everyone's mental health. That's why isolating Covid cases to protect our most vulnerable is important, and why treatment is too." And so today I say again to everyone from the bottom of my heart, thank you. "I'm sure there will be many who over the years will pore over the details of every nation's response including ours. Ardern said it marked a milestone in New Zealand's response to the virus.

The Ministry of Health gave the update as Cabinet meets to decide the fate of NZ's Covid protections.

As this categorisation is made over coming days, the attributable deaths will be added to the total reported above. The seven-day rolling average increase in total deaths attributable to Covid-19, as of Monday, is now five. It is expected that most people in hospital with Covid-19 would be vaccinated. The seven-day rolling average of new community cases on Monday is 1480, down from 1778 this time last week. Two were women and four were men. [over-represented in hospitalisation data.](https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/explained/129256918/covid19-nz-why-the-rising-tide-of-cases-doesnt-tell-the-whole-story) [whether they are attributable to Covid-19](https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/explained/300640848/covid19-officials-are-changing-the-way-deaths-are-reported--heres-how), either as the underlying cause of death or as a contributing factor, or are unrelated to Covid. [confirmed as attributable to Covid-19,](https://www.health.govt.nz/news-media/news-items/1149-community-cases-225-hospitalisations-3-icu) either as the underlying cause of death or as a contributing factor. [Covid-19](http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus), as Cabinet is set to decide the [fate of the traffic light system.](https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/129824279/covid19-jacinda-ardern-set-to-skip-green-head-straight-to-near-normality) [both the traffic light settings](https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/129724832/government-to-review-orange-traffic-light-setting-and-covid19-rules) (the country is in orange) and broader Covid-19 protections. [has not ruled out the possibility](https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/129817778/covid19-traffic-lights-top-of-agenda-as-cabinet-prepares-to-meet) of doing away with the traffic light system altogether. [the Ministry of Health said in a statement.](https://www.health.govt.nz/news-media/news-items/1149-community-cases-225-hospitalisations-3-icu)

There are 1149 new cases of Covid-19 in the community today as the government prepares to announce whether restrictions will ease.

The seven-day rolling average increase in total deaths attributable to Covid-19 was now 5, the ministry said. The seven-day rolling average of hospitalisations today is 241. In a statement, the Ministry of Health said the seven-day rolling average of community case numbers today is 1480.

There are now a total of 1,950 deaths confirmed as attributable to COVID-19, either as the underlying cause of death or as a contributing factor. The seven-day ...

In the past seven days, there have been an average of 5 deaths confirmed each day as being attributable to COVID-19. This is the number that will be reported to the World Health Organization as it provides the most accurate assessment of COVID-19 related mortality in New Zealand. The seven-day rolling average increase in total deaths attributable to COVID-19 is now 5.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern made the announcement from Parliament.

We will be living with new waves of the infection for many years to come. If we're going to visit older relatives in a rest home, it's probably wise to keep wearing that mask." People with Covid-19 will still need to isolate for seven days, but their household contacts will not. Ardern said earlier this month New Zealand had been "working with the traffic light system for upwards to a year now, so now is it the time to look at whether or not all those settings are fit for purpose". "Today marks a milestone in our response. ACT's David Seymour said removing the traffic light system is, "Absolutely the right thing to do, but it was the right thing to do six-months-ago as well".

Picture this. The sun has returned after three months of darkness, auroras will be replaced with nacreous clouds, the average temperature is sitting at -32 deg ...

I'm excited for our new staff to experience this for the first time. We're also looking forward to preparing for the Scott Base Redevelopment construction work. This year, we're supporting a busy season of science investigating everything from marine habitats to Ross Ice Shelf melt, and permafrost to penguin populations. Before deployment, staff receive Fire and Emergency New Zealand training to form a fire brigade while on the ice. Next week, the group will board the RNZAF Boeing 757 and fly across the Southern Ocean to their new home – if the weather plays ball. It's impressive how our winter chefs get creative in the kitchen using what's available to keep meals exciting.

Today, the Ministry of Health is reporting 1149 community Covid cases and 225 current hospitalisations. The seven-day rolling average of community case ...

"In the past seven days, there have been an average of 5 deaths confirmed each day as being attributable to Covid-19. "Information on the number of new deaths of people with Covid-19 reported to the Ministry of Health in the last 24 hours, and the seven-day rolling average, is available on the There are now a total of 1950 deaths confirmed as attributable to Covid-19, either as the underlying cause of death or as a contributing factor, says a ministry spokesperson. This data is from Districts with tertiary hospitals: Auckland, Canterbury/West Coast, Southern, Counties Manukau, Waikato, Capital & Coast/Hutt, Waitemata and Northland. - Number of active cases (total): 10,360 (cases identified in the past seven days and not yet classified as recovered) "There are now a total of 1950 deaths confirmed as attributable to Covid-19, either as the underlying cause of death or as a contributing factor.

KEY POINTS. • The Covid-19 Protection Framework, also known as the traffic light system, will end at 11.59pm tonight. • All mask wearing requirements ...

It will hopefully further facilitate the movement of tourists, international students, and skilled migrants into New Zealand," Goff said. "Masks do have downsides and it's important to weigh those against the benefits they provide. However, we encourage the Government to review the isolation period for Covid-19 cases within the next four weeks." The seven-day rolling average of hospitalisations today is 241; last Monday, it was 273. "It is sensible to take away isolation requirements for household contacts, but it would also make sense to shorten the isolation period for cases. This is particularly vital for ensuring that our disabled and immunocompromised whānau can continue to go about their normal lives without putting their health at greater risk." We will be living with new waves of the infection for many years to come. Focus must immediately shift to slowing the spread of Covid-19 through long-term protective public health measures, alongside equal access to all future vaccines. We applaud the removal of the requirement for household contacts to isolate. "The impacts of our response have been immense. There would continue to be monthly "check-ins" on these two settings, Ardern said. Vaccination levels were also high and there was increased access to anti-viral medicines, she said.

... • The COVID-19 Protection Framework ends at 11.59pm tonight, Monday 12 September • All mask wearing requirements removed, except in healthcare and aged ...

Be it iwi and Maori health providers, Pacifica organisations, aged care providers, businesses or the sacrifices of New Zealanders separated from loved ones, everyone played a part. Their household contacts will only be asked to undertake a daily RAT test before going about their life as normal. “All remaining Government vaccine mandates will end in two weeks on 26 September. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, rates of eating disorders, particularly anorexia nervosa, have dramatically increased both in New Zealand and overseas. Please respect those who choose to keep wearing masks as a form of protection. “Today marks a milestone in our response.

Lack of new plan for Covid-19 is a 'lost opportunity', epidemiologist Michael Baker says.

That doesn't mean it's harmless or that we can forget about it," he said. "A far more reassuring message would be for the Government to demonstrate that it's aware of the challenges and is actively preparing for both expected and unexpected threats to public health," she said. "New Zealanders are being promised a Covid-free summer, but that lovely outcome is not in the power of any Government to promise," she said. "It is also important to remember that, as always, government-mandated requirements are a minimum level of what can be expected of people, as opposed to what is sufficient to keep everyone safe in all situations," he said. "While test-to-release may not be a requirement of the new Covid-19 settings, it is still something that people may choose to follow and the continued free availability of RATs makes that more practical than it otherwise would be." "We know that isolating confirmed cases of Covid-19 while they are infectious is a crucial piece of public health policy, that prevents a large amount of onward transmission, while only causing disruption to the number of people who are confirmed infections," she said. "The reason is that, at any given point in time, the large majority of the population will be immune to the virus and so the majority of masks will be having little or no effect," he said. "It is inconvenient - but it's one of the realities we face, and we need a carefully-reasoned response to imported cases." "The traffic light system was quite poor, but we could have easily evolved it to develop a very good, a very high-quality system for categorising the level of risk." "The immediate problem is that Covid-19 is highly likely to produce new waves in the medium term, that may or may not be more severe than what we've seen," he said. "We know that two-thirds of people are still infectious at five days, and a quarter are at seven days," he said. [a sweeping roll-back](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/a-new-phase-in-our-covid-19-response-pm-jacinda-ardern-announces-end-to-traffic-light-system/GNOMDTDO4ZFDOOLBM4L4Q4O3UM/) to our Covid-19 settings as a "mixed bag" - and the lack of a fresh plan to move to as a lost opportunity.

Otago University epidemiologist Michael Baker says we should not abandon all controls at the border and our infectious disease surveillance should be ...

"I think we have to look at the wider vaccination requirements like flu vaccines for health care workers. ["The immunity that wanes is probably the immunity against infection, not from infection" - Covid-19 Minister Ayesha Verrall duration 30:09](/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2018858528/traffic-light-system-scrapped) ["The immunity that wanes is probably the immunity against infection, not from infection" - Covid-19 Minister Ayesha Verrall](/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2018858528/traffic-light-system-scrapped) "Cases are a 10th of what they were earlier in the year, pressure on the health system has substantially reduced in terms of Covid, the protections that are alternatives to the restrictions are really substantial, including the high vaccination rates that we have, the levels of hybrid immunity because of some natural infection and as well the protections we have in the health system including access to antiviral medication." "We know from the history of this virus is it's going to produce or it's very likely to produce new variants that will drive more waves and we're going to have waning immunity." ["We have to think about what other pandemics may occur in the future" - Otago University epidemiologist Michael Baker duration 7:13](/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018858485/covid-19-michael-baker-on-traffic-light-framework-scrapping) ["We have to think about what other pandemics may occur in the future" - Otago University epidemiologist Michael Baker](/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018858485/covid-19-michael-baker-on-traffic-light-framework-scrapping) "The whole genome sequencing now is a great tool, but it does depend on the ability to sample people who are infected and that has now dropped, that ability, because there will be fewer testing of people in New Zealand because of the loosening of testing requirements."

The Covid-19 traffic light system is gone and people can hop on a bus, go shopping or visit the library without wearing a mask.

And the government's now come down to people to make their own choices which is a good thing. On Wellington's Lambton Quay, some were not ready to throw away their face coverings just yet, especially for flights and in crowded places. "To be honest we're all sick of wearing masks. ["The sense I get is that most people will be very pleased" - Retail NZ chief executive Greg Hartford duration 2:35](/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018858472/retail-nz-on-loosening-mask-rules) ["The sense I get is that most people will be very pleased" - Retail NZ chief executive Greg Hartford](/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018858472/retail-nz-on-loosening-mask-rules) So how are Aucklanders feeling about the change? Several spoken to by RNZ said it was "about time" and welcomed "getting back to normal".

From Tuesday 13 September, face masks will no longer be required at Auckland Council facilities or offices, following the decision by the Government to ...

[website](http://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/covidnotices) for up-to-date information on interruptions to our services and facilities due to staff illness or unavailability. The past few years have been tough, and each of us will have felt the impacts in our own way. It makes me proud to see what we have achieved under unprecedented circumstances.

By unilaterally disarming in the fight against the coronavirus, the Government is exposing New Zealanders to the very serious ongoing health burden of ...

That view will only be reinforced as the daily reporting of Covid-19 case numbers, hospitalisations and deaths moves to a weekly one and the toll of the virus fades out of sight. We can move to a new normal where masks are less prevalent, but only when we have better systems for removing the virus from the air - either by ventilation or filtration - in the event of a future surge. Simply ignoring the very real toll of failing to control Covid-19 transmission isn't sustainable either. We have the opportunity to invest in making systematic changes that will make future Covid-19 waves smaller, as well as reducing the rates of other respiratory infectious diseases like influenza and RSV," she said. Public health experts and disability advocates pressured the Government to put in place new protections, but it didn't. That reassurance would include a much more realistic and absolutely achievable aim of having systems in place to ensure that people can enjoy summer even if it coincides with the arrival of the next variant outbreak." "New Zealanders are being promised a Covid-free summer, but that lovely outcome is not in the power of any government to promise. Of course, Covid-19 is much worse than a bad flu. In other words, this break from the Covid-19 onslaught probably won't last. Uncertainty about what kind of response any new variants or future Omicron waves might require means that agility within the Covid-19 toolkit is needed in future." When BA.5 reared its head in July, the Government found itself lacking the political will and social licence to pull from that toolbox. Since the start of the pandemic, the Prime Minister has become famous for her sober, moving speeches on the challenges Covid-19 has posed.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced the decision to drop the COVID-19 restrictions, which came into effect at 11:59pm on Monday. Dropping the restrictions ...

"On the buses I would be concerned, in confined spaces I would be concerned."

The Ministry of Health will give the update on Tuesday afternoon, after the Government dropped the Covid-19 traffic light system.

It is expected that most people in hospital with Covid-19 would be vaccinated. *

The Ministry of Health gave the update on Tuesday afternoon, after the Government dropped the Covid-19 traffic light system.

It is expected that most people in hospital with Covid-19 would be vaccinated. *

Health officials are today reporting 1941 new cases of Covid-19 and 46 virus-related deaths - however only 12 of these occurred in the past week.

Vaccination levels were also high and there was increased access to anti-viral medicines, she said. Testing requirements for new arrivals would be encouraged. A further six Covid-related deaths were reported, including three people aged in their 80s and three in their 90s. "As the Covid-19 response evolves, so too does our reporting of the outbreak," the ministry said in a statement, noting today was the last day it would publish a daily 1pm update. The ministry has confirmed today will be the last time a daily update will be released on how our rates of infection, hospitalisation and deaths linked to Covid-19 were tracking. Yesterday the seven-day rolling average of new cases yesterday continued to fall at 1480 while last Monday it was 1778. Three of the people whose deaths reported today were in their 20s and two were in their 30s. It comes as the Health Ministry makes a major shift in reporting daily Covid-19 updates after nearly two and a half years. One person was in their 40s, three were in their 50s, eight were in their 60s, seven were in their 70s, 13 were in their 80s and nine were aged over 90. Three were from Northland, 12 were from Auckland, three were from Waikato, three were from Bay of Plenty, one was from Tairāwhiti, one was from Hawke's Bay, one was from Taranaki, four were from MidCentral, four were from Whanganui, three were from Nelson Marlborough, ten were from Canterbury and one person was from Southern. In the past seven days, there have been an average of four deaths confirmed each day as being attributable to the virus. Health officials are today reporting 1941 new cases of Covid-19 and 46 virus-related deaths - however only 12 of these occurred in the past week.

There are 1941 new Covid-19 community cases in New Zealand on Tuesday, the Ministry of Health has announced.

The number of active community cases is 10,270. The location of four cases is unknown. The seven-day rolling average of total deaths attributable to Covid-19 is four. Of the 46 people who have died, three were aged in their 20s, two were in their 30s, one was in their 40s, three were in their 50s, eight were in their 60s, seven were in their 70s, 13 were in their 80s and nine were aged over 90. The average age of those in hospital is 63. There are 1941 new Covid-19 community cases in New Zealand on Tuesday, the Ministry of Health has announced.

There are now a total of 1,962 deaths confirmed as attributable to COVID-19, either as the underlying cause of death or as a contributing factor. The seven-day ...

As this categorisation is made over coming days, the attributable deaths will be added to the total reported above. In the past seven days, there have been an average of 4 deaths confirmed each day as being attributable to COVID-19. This is the number that will be reported to the World Health Organization as it provides the most accurate assessment of COVID-19 related mortality in New Zealand. This includes information on the age band and location of these newly reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average increase in total deaths attributable to COVID-19 is now 4. Total numbers will always be the formal daily case tally as reported to the WHO.