Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins has today confirmed that the entire country will drop from red to the orange traffic light setting from 11.59pm tonight, 13 April. He said the change in alert levels was justified for several reasons, including an ongoing decline in cases.

The Minister noted that it has been three weeks since the most recent simplification to the traffic light system, and despite the "significant relaxation of the settings, we've continued to see positive improvements in the overall trajectory".

Case numbers now sit below 10,000 new cases per day for the first time since 24 February, and hospitalisations in Auckland were lower, with all three DHBs each reporting fewer than 100 patients for the first time since late February. Planned care delivery is also increasing day by day, and deaths are also decreasing, from a seven-day rolling average of 20 a week ago, to 13 now.

Life at Orange

• At Orange, you can continue to do everyday activities, but we need to protect our vulnerable communities.
• You must wear a face mask in many indoor locations. You do not need to wear a face mask outdoors.
• You can visit cafes and bars, attend gatherings and events, and go to the hairdresser and gym. There are no capacity limits or distancing requirements at venues.
• Workplaces and schools can open.

To protect yourself, your whānau and your community, keep up healthy habits.

Face masks remain an important protection and are encouraged, but are no longer compulsory in many settings.

You must still wear a face mask

• on domestic flights
• on public transport, this includes Cook Strait Ferries but does not include passengers within their allocated carriage on specified Kiwirail services or when you are on a ship that does not have an enclosed space for passengers
• at indoor arrival and departure points for domestic flights and public transport
  if you are aged 12 years or over on Ministry of Education funded school transport and public transport
• in taxis or ride share vehicles
• inside a retail business, for example supermarkets, shopping malls, pharmacies, petrol stations, and takeaway food stores
• inside public facilities, such as museums and libraries, but not at swimming pools
  at a vet clinic
• visiting the indoor area of a court or tribunal — unless the judicial officer does not require them
  at premises operated by local and central government agencies, social service providers, and NZ Police
• in the public area of premises operated by NZ Post Limited
• when visiting a healthcare service, for example a healthcare or aged care facility.

Masks are also no longer required in schools, though they are again still encouraged. The ministry is providing further advice to schools about increasing ventilation.

The shift to Orange will be welcome news to many, as we head into Easter weekend and the school holidays and connect with loved ones. However, there is still Omicron in the community, and the threat of new variants arriving in Aotearoa is still risk, so everyone should continue to be cautious and think about the health of others, especially those who are immunocompromised or at higher risk of long-term health impacts from infection. 

It is also important to make a plan in case you get COVID-19 on holiday. If you are not using your own vehicle to travel — such as relying on flights or public transport — you need to make sure you can isolate where you are.

The Minister urged the roughly 1 million New Zealanders who have not yet got booster shots to do so, saying New Zealand fared much better than many other countries because of high levels of vaccination.

The next review of the traffic light settings will be in mid-May.

HNZ events

Womens' Weekend
Women's Weekend was scheduled for November 2021, but was postponed due to COVID. We're now looking forward this event taking place in Dunedin on 11-13 June, 2022. Existing registrations have priority. New registrations may be offered as space allows.
 
National Family Camp
National Family Camp was planned for April 2022 in Ngāruawāhia. This is the key event in the HNZ calendar, so we were disappointed to have to postpone it. We now have confirmed 11 - 14 April 2023 as the new dates for this important event.
 
For more information on these events please contact us at info@haemophilia.org.nz

Haemophilia Treatment Centres

All haemophilia treatment centres remain available. Here's how you can connect with your local HTC:
 
Auckland - Contact Karen or Vanessa at akhaem@adhb.govt.nz or on 09 307 4949 ext 25285.
 
Waikato - Contact Maureen at Maureen.Campbell@waikatodhb.health.nz or on 021 846 920 or 07 839 8899 ext 23638.
 
Palmerston North - Contact Darryl at Daryl.Pollock@midcentraldhb.govt.nz or on her cell 027 240 8254 as she is working from home. If anyone needs to be seen, it can be sorted out at the time.
 
Wellington - Contact BJ as normal at Brian.Ramsay@ccdhb.org.nz or via the haemophilia phone on 027 334 5081.
 
Canterbury - Contact Kathy at kathryn.fawcett@cdhb.health.nz or 027 526 1574 during office hours.
 
Southern - Contact Val at Val.waugh@southerndhb.govt.nz or on 027 269 9383.

Need help?

Resources

Key COVID-19 information in Te Reo Māori and over 35 other languages, plus accessible formats for the disabled community, is available from the Unite Against COVID-19 website.

• Information is available in NZ Sign Language, large print & audio, easy read.
• Information for Pacific peoples.
• Useful posters for your workplace or community.
• Financial support for individuals, whānau, foreign nationals, and businesses. 
• Up-to-date Alert Level information
• Case information and numbers from the Ministry of Health.

Help and support

If you are worried about your or someone else’s mental health, the best place to get help is your GP or local mental health provider. 
 
Need to talk? Free call or text 1737 any time for support from a trained counsellor.
 
Or if you need to talk to someone else:
 
Alcohol Drug HelpLine – 0800 787 797
Asian Helpline – 0800 862 342
Lifeline – 0800 543 354
Suicide Crisis Helpline – 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO)
Youthline – 0800 376 633 or free text 234
Kidsline – 0800 54 37 54 (for under 18s)
What’s Up – 0800 942 8787 (for 5–18-year-olds 1pm–10pm weekdays and 3pm–10pm weekends)
Depression Helpline – 0800 111 757 or free text 4202
Samaritans – 0800 726 666
OUTLine NZ – 0800 688 5463
Healthline – 0800 611 116
 
If your work has been impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak and your income is affected you may be able to get financial support from the government. To find out more about your options check out the dedicated Work and Income COVID-19 page: https://workandincome.govt.nz/covid-19/index.html
 
If you have any questions, please contact HNZ via the 0508 FACTOR number or at info@haemophilia.org.nz.