Covid 19 coronavirus Delta outbreak - Samantha Motion: The biggest losers of the vaccine pass era aren't the unvaccinated

Councils can choose whether they require vaccine passes at public facilities. Photo / George Novak

OPINION

The traffic light system has some oddities, but the one I most struggle to get my head around is why local authorities have been given more choice than other sectors.

In red and orange settings, councils can choose if they want to require vaccine passes for access to public facilities, with no extra restrictions to implement if they opt out.

It has led to an absurd situation where, across the Bay of Plenty, each council has taken different approaches to how much freedom they offer unvaccinated people - who are more likely to catch and be contagious with Covid.

Western Bay of Plenty District Council is not barring anyone from anywhere in the orange setting.

That's despite having Covid-19 spreading in its community, being home to summer holiday spots, and having just over 16 per cent of its population not fully vaccinated (about half of those have had one dose, as of November 28).

Whakatāne District Council, in red, has taken a tougher stance. Its response focused on barring unvaccinated access to indoor council venues but that means the Murupara pool will remain open to everyone.

Research has shown there is less risk of Covid-19 transmission between people outdoors with good airflow, but in one of New Zealand's least vaccinated communities, is any risk worth it? Time will tell.

Tauranga City (orange) and Rotorua Lakes District (red) councils are requiring a My Vaccine Pass for almost all facilities for people aged 12 and over.

They made tough calls that may frustrate anti-vaxxers but the vast vaccinated majority, as well as kids not eligible to be vaccinated, can take comfort in being able to use public facilities with less risk of encountering the virus.

No one is pretending the vaccination offers perfect protection but I don't understand how anyone could look objectively at the many serious risks associated with catching Covid-19 and the lesser jab risks and reasonably conclude they would rather tangle with the virus.

In the traffic light system, the only real way to know you will be welcome everywhere is to be vaccinated.

Unvaccinated people will need to do their research before they leave the house. So too, however, will vaccinated people who need to minimise their chances of being exposed to Covid-19.

This could include people who have pre-existing conditions, are immunocompromised or fall into Covid high-risk categories such as the elderly.

I know people like this - they are vaccinated, they aren't allowing unvaccinated people into their homes, and they have drastically altered their habits to avoid a virus that could kill them.

These are the biggest losers of the vaccine pass era: They've had their jabs but will face much of the same hassle as people who simply refuse to protect themselves.

Now public facilities in some areas will be less safe for them, too.