15 August 2023 at 10:56 am
All Covid-19 requirements removed
The New Zealand government has announced that from Tuesday 15 August 2023, all remaining mandatory public health requirements for Covid-19 are removed. The Ministry of Education recommends that tertiary education providers follow Covid-19 health advice, and support staff and learners to do so.
Changes that take effect from Tuesday 15 August 2023
- Confirmed Covid-19 cases will no longer be legally required to self-isolate
- Masks will no longer be mandatory in any locations
This means that tertiary education providers can operate as normal, and set their own policies and procedures to ensure they meet their obligations to staff and learners, including under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, and the Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021.
Advice for tertiary providers and students
The Ministry of Education recommends that tertiary education providers follow COVID-19 health advice, and support staff and learners to do so.
Full COVID-19 health advice can be found at: Unite against COVID-19.
The Ministry of Education will also be updating advice for tertiary providers and students on the Te Mahau COVID-19 website following this announcement.
The latest health advice on COVID-19 includes:
- Stay at home if you are feeling unwell - if you, or someone in your household develops one or more of the following symptoms, you should take a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) for COVID-19: a runny nose, sore throat, cough, fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, headache, loss of smell or taste, shortness of breath.
- If you have tested positive for COVID-19, it is recommended you isolate for 5 days, even if you only have mild symptoms, starting at Day 0, which is the day your symptoms started or when you tested positive, whichever came first.
- If you do need to leave your home during your 5-day isolation period, it is very important you take precautions to prevent spreading COVID-19 to others. You should wear a mask whenever you leave the house. You should not visit a healthcare facility (except to access medical care), an aged residential care facility, or have contact with anyone at risk of getting seriously unwell with COVID-19.
- If you are in isolation at the time of the setting change announcement, we recommend you continue isolating until you have completed 5 days. If you have already been isolating for 6 or 7 days, and are well, you can return to your normal activities.
- After completing 5 days isolation –
- If your symptoms have resolved and you feel well, you can return to your normal activities.
- If you still feel unwell, we recommend you stay home until you have recovered.
- We recommend you wear a mask if you need to visit a healthcare facility or an aged residential care facility, or you have contact with anyone at risk of getting seriously unwell with COVID-19 up until 10 days after your symptoms started or you tested positive. This is because some people are infectious for up to 10 days.
Mask wearing remains an important way we can prevent the spread of respiratory illnesses
Free masks are available for pick up with free rapid antigen tests (RATs) from participating collection sites.
RATs will remain free for everyone throughout 2023
You can find out participating pick-up points for RATs and masks at COVID-19 Testing • Healthpoint or by calling 0800 222 478 and choosing option 1.
The Government's media release can be found here.
