After only three days in orange, Northland is moving back to the red traffic light, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced in an unscheduled press conference yesterday. Photo / Mark Mitchell
After only three days in orange Northland, along with the rest of the country, has moved back to the red traffic light setting – and while political and business leaders say this was to be expected, health officials urge the public to get immunised.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced the new traffic light setting in an unscheduled press conference after Omicron was detected in the community in Auckland and Nelson area.
For Northland District Health Board chief executive Dr Nick Chamberlain the outbreak triggered concerns as Northland's vaccination rate sits at 86 per cent which is "well below" the national average of 92.90 per cent.
"Northland has the lowest vaccination rate in New Zealand and is the most vulnerable community.
"With Omicron here, we need all eligible people to be vaccinated to minimise the risk and maximise protection," Chamberlain said.
"For the wellbeing of our community, particularly our vulnerable, rural communities, the elderly and those unable to be vaccinated, we need to do much much better.
"Our Pasifika community have done exceptionally well and have set an example we need to follow."
Ninety-two per cent of the Pasifika community in Northland are fully vaccinated.
"If you haven't had your first dose, please do this now. If you are due your second dose, find a vaccination clinic near you – no appointment needed.
"If your second dose was at least four months ago, you are eligible for a booster. There is clinical evidence that having the booster dose of the Pfizer vaccine increases your protection from Omicron," Chamberlain appealed to the public.
He also encouraged parents with children aged 5-11 to seek out information about the children vaccine which is now available.
"Tai Tokerau needs to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 to survive the Omicron outbreak. Make sure you and your whānau are doing their bit to ensure that this is possible."
The Northland DHB also urged people to self-monitor for symptoms and get tested if they have concerns after four new cases of Covid-19 were reported over the weekend.
One of the cases is linked to a known case and was in isolation as a close contact in Whangārei.
Two further cases in Kaitaia are household members of a linked case.
The other case, which was reported on Saturday night and is also in the Kaitaia area, is unlinked.
"Public health staff are continuing to investigate to establish a possible link to previous cases," a DHB spokesperson said.
The results of the genome sequencing are expected today.
There will be a pop-up testing clinic at the Houhora Big Game Fishing Club in Pukenui today from 10.30am-2pm. For the full list of Northland testing centres, visit northlanddhb.org.nz/home/covid-19/.
Meanwhile, Dr Jason Smith, chairman of the Northland Mayoral Forum, said after three days in orange which gave Northland "a taste of greater freedom", the move back into the red light is a reminder that the pandemic is far from over.
"Northland has been living with this for weeks – we know the red setting.
"But the fact that all of New Zealand is moving into red shows how seriously people in Wellington are taking the situation.
"It's now in the hands of all Northlanders to be as protected as they can be," Smith said.
He asked people to do "the right thing" and get vaccinated, adhere to public health advice and prepare their household in case they have to isolate.
Smith also expressed concerns for people in the Kaipara district which records some of the lowest vaccination rates in the region.
He acknowledged the Government's traffic light announcement will again affect the hospitality sector which have already been paying significant prize for the ongoing pandemic restriction.
In red, face coverings are mandatory when travelling on public transport, in retail and to an extent in education. Public facilities and retail outlets are open, with capacity limits.
With a vaccine pass, many businesses and events can have a maximum of 100 people, including hospitality, gyms, weddings and tangihanga.
Without passes, hospitality services must remain contactless and the aforementioned gatherings are limited to 25 people.
Education centres stay open but with extra health measures including year four and up will be required to wear masks.
Tertiary students must study remotely if they don't have a vaccine pass.
It is unclear how long Northland will stay in the red setting but Ardern indicated it could be for "some weeks".
For John Maurice, chairman of the Northland branch of the Hospitality Association, it's back to what hospitality has become used to.
"We've had this for so long. It's same old, same old for us."
He didn't believe that the three days in orange made a major difference to businesses in the North.
Whangārei restaurateur Lloyd Rooney called the Government's decision to move Northland into orange "dumb" saying it was clear that we would be back in red within a matter of a week.
Rooney had told his staff to ignore the orange light setting and continue their red light protocols to maintain a more stable work environment for staff, and to keep everyone as safe as possible.
He noted that event organisers would be affected the most as events are capped at 100 people while most restaurants and bars in the region didn't have the capacity to host more than that in the first place.
"It's sad for those who under orange could make their business more viable. My heart goes out to event organisers. This would have been a blow for them."
The Northland Field Days, New Zealand's second-largest agriculture exhibition scheduled for early March, is one of the latest events to be cancelled because of pandemic-related uncertainty.
"This decision was certainly not made lightly and the option of postponing the event was discussed rigorously but we simply can't have exhibitors, suppliers and all the volunteers involved in bringing this event to Northland waiting around to see what happens with the latest strain of the Covid-19 virus, Omicron," the planning committee said in an announcement on Friday.
It's the second year that the Field Days in Dargaville was cancelled.
Get your household prepared for Omicron
Make a plan that includes:
Essential supplies on hand so you will not need to leave your home if you become ill.
Avoid panic buying. Add a few extra items every time you shop.
Remember to renew your prescription medications.
Alternative arrangements in case you become ill or if you need to care for a sick family member.
For example, have back-up childcare in case you or your usual care provider become ill
If you care for dependents, have a back-up caregiver in place.
If you need to self-isolate away from your home have a back-up person to feed/exercise/ look after your animals.
Talk to your employer about working from home if possible.
Have your contacts ready, including; healthcare, your doctor, your pharmacy, Healthline, your support network of family, friends, neighbours, school, work.
Have household instructions ready:
Make a list of household instructions of things you usually do but cannot while isolating, such as feeding pets, paying bills, watering the plants, instructions on how to use things.
Communicate:
Share your plan with your family, friends and neighbours.
Set up a buddy system to check in on each other by phone, email or text during times of need.
Protect yourself and others against Covid-19:
Get vaccinated, stay home if you are sick, get tested if you have any Covid-19 symptoms even if they are mild, keep track of where you have been, wear a face mask, maintain good hand hygiene, maintain physical distancing.
Shopping checklist:
Food: dried pasta and rice, pasta sauces, canned soups, vegetables and beans, pet food and supplies, food, formula and drinks for babies and small children, dried or long life milk, baking supplies.
Hygiene: Toilet paper, feminine hygiene products, nappies and wipes, facial tissue, soap, shampoo and conditioner, alcohol-based hand sanitiser containing at least 60 per cent alcohol.
Healthcare: Regular medicines, thermometer, fever-reducing medications (e.g. paracetamol/ibuprofen), throat lozenges, medical masks, household rubber gloves, tissues, heat and cool packs.
Cleaning: Paper towels, plastic bin bags, laundry detergent, regular household cleaning products, hard-surface disinfectant, or if not available, concentrated (5 per cent) liquid bleach and a separate container for dilution.
Be prepared for being at home checklist:
Puzzles, books, magazines, cards/games, podcasts, soothing music, TV/Netflix, colouring and other activities for children, radio, community and daily newspapers, batteries, outdoor activities for in your yard, house projects to keep adults who are well busy, colouring and other activities for children.
Both kiwi, a male and female, were wild-hatched.