Covid-19 restrictions to ease for many

A relaxation of Covid-19 restrictions will be welcome news for many in Dunedin.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced yesterday changes to the traffic light system that will help bring the city one step closer to business as usual.

New Zealand remains at the Red setting of the Covid-19 traffic light system. But at the Red light level, from 11.59pm tomorrow, indoor capacity limits change from 100 to 200.

Outdoor capacity limits will be removed entirely, as well as requirements for wearing masks outdoors.

From 11.59pm on Monday, April 4 the use of vaccine passes and scanning QR codes will no longer be required.

Also from that date, mandated vaccination will no longer be required for the education, police and defence sectors.

Vaccine mandates will still be required for people working in the health, aged care, Corrections and MIQ/border sectors.

At the Orange setting all restrictions will be removed other than the requirement for workers to wear masks at indoor events.

"Simply put, Red means indoor gathering limits and masks, Orange means masks and Green means guidance."

At all levels, testing and isolation requirements remain the same.

The Southern District Health Board is highlighting that the South Island has not reached its Omicron peak yet and now is not the time to get complacent. A statement from the board said a fall in national case numbers was primarily being driven by the Auckland region reaching its Omicron peak, while numbers have continued to rise in the Southern district with cases yesterday at an all time high.

Red traffic light changes

 - From 11.59pm tomorrow indoor capacity limits change from 100 to 200. Outdoor capacity limits removed.

 - From 11.59pm on Monday, April 4, vaccine mandates end for education, police and defence sectors.

 - From 11.59pm on Monday, April 4, the use of My Vaccine Passes and scanning QR codes will no longer be required.

simon.henderson@thestar.co.nz