Covid 19 coronavirus: Rotorua rule changes under level 3 - what you need to know

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Open landfill, closed recycling facilities, more hospital visitors, and the return of a handful of sports.

Those are some of the key rule changes in Rotorua as alert level 3 begins today.

Public spaces and services

According to the Rotorua Lakes Council, most public spaces and facilities that were closed under level 4 will continue to be shut.

They include the library, aquatic centre, events centre, iSite, sports facilities, playgrounds, public toilets and council offices.

Wheelie bin collections will continue as usual and the landfill will reopen, including green waste disposal, with new precautions in place and regular opening hours.

Precautions included only one person per vehicle being allowed to enter, cameras recording vehicle registration numbers for contact tracing, and no cash payments.

The council has warned to expect queues in the first few days and asked people to wait if they could.

The Te Ngae Waste Management Transfer station will also open, but will not accept green waste.

Recycling centres will remain closed, with recycling going to landfill.

The council said it did not have a place to stockpile recycling and it would take a lot of time and cost - as well as labour - to organise one.

Most council services and operations would be attended to in the same way as they did under level 4, but both parks and reserve maintenance and consent activities will restart.

Recreation and sports clubs

People can now drive a short distance to do low-risk local exercise, with social distancing, in their local area.

That will give more mountain bikers opportunity to access trails in the Redwoods, with the council opening limited car parking at Waipa Rd and Long Mile Rd.

Whakarewarewa Forest first responder Henry Worsp, director of Peak Safety, said riders had been well behaved during level 4, with the only callout to a runner.

He expected the accident and injury rate would remain low in level 3, especially if people kept sticking to the easier trails and avoiding jumps.

His family of four - all keen mountain bikers - stuck to road cycling during level 4.

"We're looking forward to getting back into the forest."

Mountainbiking trails in the Whakarewarewa Forest are expected to be busier in level 3. Photo / File

Clubs for some non-contact sports such as golf, tennis and bowls can also reopen some access to their facilities for people to play solo or with others in their bubbles.

Matt Schofield, head golf professional with the Rotorua Golf Club, said he had mixed feelings about the limited reopening.

On one hand, it would be "awesome to get back out there" but on the other, a lot of effort had gone into facilitating an opening that would not allow the club to make revenue - though a membership bump was hoped for with other sports not able to return.

In addition, he expected it would be hard for some players to put aside the social side of the sport, especially if they did not have any fellow golfers in their home bubble.

Schofield said he would be playing with his 10-year-old son.

He said the club would be offering its 350 members 25 tee times from 8am to 12pm, in 10-minute intervals to avoid gatherings. Volunteer stewards would ensure people stuck to the rules.

Among other changes, course equipment such as flags and rakes had been removed and cups would be turned upside down, in line with contact-free requirements.

An aerial view of Rotorua Golf Course, which will partially reopen today. Photo / File

Hospitals

The Lakes District Health Board has introduced a new visitor policy from today for the Rotorua and Taupo hospitals.

People receiving palliative care will be able to have two visitors, an increase of one.

For parents with a child in the Children's Unit or in the Special Care Baby Unit, there can be one parent or guardian as the support person plus one other visitor.

Women in labour can have one support person each in the birthing suite, who can remain with her until she is discharged - including during post-natal stays.

People coming into the emergency department or in other parts of the hospital can only have one person with them.

All visitors have to register on entry and exit, wear a badge, wear appropriate PPE as directed by staff and cannot be unwell.

Lakes nurses working in a Covid-19 testing station have urged people to be even more vigilant and united in level 3.

Nurses were photographed at a drive-through testing location holding up signs with the message: Please stay home for us - in both English and te reo.

A pop-up drop-in Covid-19 testing station will be in place tomorrow in Edmund Rd from 10am to 12pm.

Highway roadworks

Work on State Highway 30 Te Ngae Rd will start today, according to Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency.

It will focus at Puarenga Park for the Whakarewarewa Rugby Club access, installing the new water main and relocating services.

Maintenance work will also resume.

• Covid19.govt.nz: The Government's official Covid-19 advisory website