Covid 19 coronavirus Delta variant: Hamilton mayor tells PM not to forget Hamilton

Hamilton mayor Paula Southgate is calling on the Prime Minister to set a clearer plan for the Waikato to move out of lockdown. Photo / File

Hamilton's mayor is urging the Prime Minister not to forget Hamilton, saying its vaccination rates are better than the rest of the region and it now needs a clear way out of restrictions too.

Paula Southgate has written to Jacinda Ardern this week telling her she is concerned there is "no clear sense" of what the medium-term plan for the Waikato region is and she did not think Hamilton should be expected to remain in level 3 for "weeks or months" once 90 per cent of its population is vaccinated.

Currently the Government has said Auckland can move to the traffic light system as soon as all three DHBs in the region hit a 90 per cent double vaccination rate.

However, under the current framework, nowhere else in the country will be allowed to move into the system until every other DHB hits 90 per cent which, based on some modelling, may not be until January or February next year.

"Just as it would not be tenable to keep Auckland in level 3 once its DHBs reach 90 per cent, it would be unsustainable if, just across the Bombay Hills, Hamilton has to remain in level 3 for weeks or months with more than 90 per cent of its population fully vaccinated. That is the situation we are currently facing," she wrote.

Hamilton is on track to hit its 90 per cent double vaccination target by the end of November.

Up until last week, the Government was still committed to an elimination strategy in the Waikato despite being in lockdown for more than four weeks and daily case numbers still popping up, hitting a daily record of 18 on Tuesday.

"It has frequently been pointed out to me that the focus of the daily press conferences is invariably on Auckland, and the rest of the country that remains at level 2, rather than Waikato," she wrote.

Currently 72 per cent of the Waikato DHB's eligible population has had both doses of the vaccine. Hamilton is leading the way with 77 per cent of the eligible population double vaccinated, followed closely by Waipa, while other Waikato DHB areas who are still enjoying alert level 2 settings are lagging behind with Ruapehu and South Waikato both sitting in the bottom four in the country at only 59.4 and 59.8 per cent respectively.

Hamilton City Council's city advisory committee also met this morning to discuss how it could help the struggling hospitality sector as it grapples with its fifth week in level 3.

Deputy mayor Geoff Taylor said the council was working with bars, restaurants and cafes in the central city so they could spread tables out onto the footpath and other public spaces and serve more customers while still adhering to the social distancing requirements.

If approved by the full council next week, it would not only look to temporarily override some of its own bylaws but would also write to the Government, urging it to ease the liquor licensing rules so alcohol could also be served at these additional outdoor tables.