From December 15 the borders around Auckland will allow travel both ways for anyone who has either been fully vaccinated or returned a negative test within 72 hours before departure.
The system will be in place until January 17. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern confirmed the lifting of Auckland’s border restrictions today. Auckland has been in lockdown for three months, after the first Delta case was announced on August 17.
Ardern also announced that Cabinet would meet on Monday 29 November to discuss Auckland moving to the new Covid traffic light system. She said the rest of the country would make the shift to the new system at the same time.
When it happens, Auckland will move into the highest level “Red”. Areas in Aotearoa with lower vaccination rates will also be at Red.
Vaccine Passports
As of today the My Vaccine Pass is available to download from My Covid Record.
The My Vaccine Pass is the official record of a person’s vaccination status, it’s basically your own personal QR code. The code holds your details from your NHI number and states when you had your vaccinations.
To get a pass you must register on the My Covid Record website - it’s a straightforward process that is made easier if you have a RealMe account. If you don’t have one, that’s okay too - you can fill in your details manually and use another form of ID like a licence or passport to confirm your identity.
Once you’re in you’ll see your personal details and when you had your vaccine. There’s also a section where you can request your vaccine pass if you’re fully vaccinated.
The request should be processed within 24 hours, and then an email with a QR code that is your vaccine pass will be sent to you. If you don’t use a smart device, the QR code can be printed so you can carry your pass with you.
Vaccine passes will be needed pretty much everywhere except supermarkets, pharmacies, all health and disability services, food banks or petrol stations. They’ll also be needed for entry to summer events and festivals.
Live Nation, which promotes the Rhythm and Vines New Years Eve Festival, says the pass system provides certainty for the summer events season.
"It provides the next step for our industry to get back to work and for us all to return to live events and shows safely," says Mark Kneebone, the company's New Zealand managing director.
"We have a lot of big announcements waiting in the wings and we are ready to go.”
For children under the age of 12, proof of vaccination is not required. It’s also not required in education settings, on public transport (other than air travel), and for accessing housing support services.
Today’s numbers
There are 194 new cases to report today, bringing the total number in the current outbreak to 6,167. There is also 1 death.
180 cases are in Auckland, 5 in Waikato, 3 in Northland and 6 in Lakes District.
88 people are in hospital with Covid-19 and 7 of those are in ICU or the high dependency unit.
A man in his 60’s died yesterday at North Shore Hospital. He was admitted to hospital on November 4 presenting with COVID-19 symptoms and then tested positive.
So far across the country, 91 percent of those eligible for the Pfizer vaccine have had their first dose. 82 percent are fully vaccinated. Anyone over 12 can get vaccinated.
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