Tuesday 5 October
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced the introduction of vaccine cards, likely to be implemented in November.
Those who are fully vaccinated will receive one of the cards - which differs from the vaccine record cards currently being used. Certain events and locations will be restricted to those with one.
“Simply put, it is proof that you are fully vaccinated and therefore pose less risk to the people around you,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said at the 1pm press conference today.
Ministers and relevant Government agencies are finalizing what locations and events the cards will be required for.
However, Ardern said they know that they will be used in high risk settings like large events. The Government is also looking at areas like hospitality.
They will not be used to restrict access to health services or supermarkets.
They expect to roll out the cards in November in physical and digital formats.
“Please get vaccinated now,” Ardern said. “Summer is close and so to be fully vaccinated and enjoy the things you love, you need to be vaccinated this month, not in December.”
“The best Christmas present to your family this year is to bring forward your vaccination.”
24 new cases
At the 1pm press conference, Director of Public Health Dr Caroline McElnay also gave an update on community cases.
There are 24 new community cases today, with 18 in Auckland, and six in Waikato. 3 of today’s Waikato cases were reported yesterday, but are included in today’s official case count due to the time they were identified.
All of the cases in the Waikato are linked and the region's DHB has not identified any locations of interest.
Of today’s cases, 7 are yet to be linked, and eight cases remained unlinked from yesterday.
“We estimate from the number of notified cases and their contacts, we would expect an additional 48 cases to come through in the coming days from those contacts,” Dr McElnay said.