The last remaining mandatory COVID-19 public health requirements for a 7-day isolation period for people testing positive for COVID-19 and wearing of face masks for visitors to healthcare and disability facilities have been removed from 12:01pm on Tuesday 15 August.
To prevent the spread of respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19, the wearing of facemasks by visitors in healthcare settings and continuing to isolate if positive for COVID-19 are still being strongly recommended.
New Zealand has a good supply of antiviral medicines, and people with a high risk of severe illness from COVID-19 will continue to be eligible for treatment with antivirals.
These changes to COVID-19 settings will be updated on the Unite Against COVID-19 website: https://covid19.govt.nz/ and the Te Whatu Ora website.
In Te Whatu Ora Southern Hospitals and healthcare facilities:
- Masks will always be available for any visitor if they wished to wear them.
- For patient safety reasons, we will continue to require visitors to wear personal protective equipment including masks in certain clinical situations as has always been the case.
- Mask wearing is still an important way to help prevent the spread of illness in healthcare settings.
- Te Whatu Ora Southern is currently reviewing its mask-wearing guidelines for healthcare staff in healthcare facilities and hospitals. While this is under way, staff are asked to continue to wear masks in hospitals to protect vulnerable patients and themselves.
If people get sick with COVID-19, most will be cared for at home with support from Primary Care teams. If you need to go to hospital we plan to care for most COVID-19 patients at Dunedin Hospital where there is ICU support available. However, all hospitals are planning to care for patients who have COVID -19.
Unite Against COVID website Ministry of Health website Health Navigator IMAC
