Caution urged by SDHB over shift to orange

The Southern District Health Board is sounding a warning for people in its area after the Government today announced a move to the orange traffic light setting from midnight.

Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins announced the change this afternoon.

While the move may be welcomed by many, Southern DHB Covid-19 Response Lead Dr Hywel Lloyd said today's decision was made because of what was happening nationally, but "the Southern district has not yet reached a point in our outbreak where our community is safe from widespread community transmission".

“Cases continue to rise in parts of Southern, especially in Central Otago, where we are now seeing our steepest rise in cases, and where many people will be heading for a break this holiday weekend.

"We all love to enjoy what Central and Queenstown has to offer, but our health system is stretched because of Covid-19 related staff absence in Central Otago,” Dr Lloyd said.

“We are also seeing a continuing rise in infections in our 65+ population and in those in the 40–50-year-old age group.”

He said recent wastewater testing had shown that the district was likely to have many more cases than were being reported, and that the self-reporting model had resulted in significant underreporting across the district.

“It is now up to us, as a community, to make decisions that protect our loved ones and the vulnerable members of our society. The easiest and best way to do this is to make the decision to continue to wear a mask, just like we have been under the red traffic light settings.

“Wearing a mask, wearing it properly, and practising physical distancing, as well as being fully vaccinated and boosted, is the best defence we all have against catching Covid-19 and stopping the spread of it to our loved ones.”