Covid-19: How public facilities will be affected during the restrictions

Wednesday, 12 August 2020

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Dr Ashley Bloomfield outline their Covid-19 response timeline.

Councils around the country are braced to shut facilities in the wake of fresh coronavirus restrictions, with Auckland already shutting all of its community amenities.

Auckland will be under alert level 3 lockdown for 72 hours from midday on Wednesday following the first community transmission of coronavirus in more than 100 days, with the rest of the country operating under level 2 restrictions.

Auckland Council closed all of its community facilities such as playgrounds, parks and libraries overnight.

Hundreds of people have sought testing for Covid-19 since the latest cases forced Auckland into alert level 3 restrictions.

In other parts of the country, contact tracing is mandatory for those using public amenities under alert level 2, with facilities remaining open in cities such as Christchurch.

* Coronavirus: Four cases of Covid-19 community transmission confirmed in Auckland

* Coronavirus three-day lockdown: what it means for Auckland and the rest of NZ

Here is how some of the major areas around the country are responding to the new restrictions:

AUCKLAND

Panic buying has again kicked in following the news of the new cases and fresh movement restrictions.

Schools and childcare will be closed, except for children of essential service workers.

All community facilities have been shut – parks and playgrounds are closed, along with non-essential services such as libraries, pools and leisure centres, service centres, visitor centres, community venues and early childhood education centres.

The council will still provide essential services such as rubbish disposal and recycling, but non-essential maintenance in open spaces will be stopped until Friday, acting chief executive Patricia Reade said.

Public transport will continue to operate and supermarkets, pharmacies and petrol stations will remain open, as will around 100 public toilets for essential workers and those sleeping rough.

But all other public facilities, including bars, restaurants and business, should close, the council said.

Christchurch’s Margaret Mahy Playground will remain open but council staff will monitor for social distancing.

“Please stay calm, shop as normal and follow Ministry of Health advice around good hygiene practices and social distancing,” mayor Phil Goff said.

“Those who can work from home should do so. We’ve beaten Covid-19 once already by working together, and we will do so again by working together as a team.”

CHRISTCHURCH

Public facilities will remain open but steps are being put in place to ensure social distancing, the city council said.

Visitor numbers are also being managed to ensure physical distancing and the ability to contact trace, acting chief executive Mary Richardson said, with contact tracing mandatory from noon on Wednesday, either via the national Covid Tracer app or a sign-in register.

Bus passengers are also being urged to avoid travelling at peak times, between 7am and 9am and 2.30pm and 5.30pm on weekdays.

The Metro school bus network will continue to operate at full capacity.

Facilities such as the central library Tūranga and recreation centres can have more than 100 visitors provided physical distancing and records of attendance are kept.

“If you are planning on visiting one of our facilities over the next couple of days please be aware that some of our facilities may be operating slightly differently than normal,” Richardson said.

Public venues such as libraries and pools will remain open, though all facilities will have reduced capacity to allow for physical distancing.

Regular sessions such as Tumbletimes for pre-schoolers will require people to pre-register online, with contact tracing required. No council events have yet been suspended or cancelled.

At council-owned pools and fitness centres, all visitors will have to sign in or use the Government’s Covid-19 tracing app.

Saunas will be closed and inflatable pool equipment and hydrotherapy gear will not be available. Limited numbers of aqua-jogging belts and kickboards will be available, but will be cleaned between use.

At QEII, Graham Condon, Pioneer and Jellie Park pools, Swimsmart lessons will be running at the usual times for Tigersharks, Barracudas, Marlins and Squads. Bubbletimes and Sleepytimes are not running.

An online booking system is set up for group fitness classes. Bookings are not required but those who don't book may have to wait for numbers in the fitness facilities to drop.

Hand sanitiser will be available at council facilities and public areas will be cleaned regularly.

Acting mayor Andrew Turner said the council is “well-prepared” for the reintroduction of restrictions.

People queue outside the Countdown supermarket on Wellington’s Lambton Quay shortly before most of the country moves to coronavirus alert level 2 on Wednesday.

“All our parks and playgrounds remain open but council staff will be keeping a close eye on numbers of people at popular parks, like the Margaret Mahy family playground, to ensure social distancing requirements can be met,” acting mayor Andrew Turner said.

“Our sports grounds will also stay open under alert level 2 and it will be up to the individual sports codes to determine whether their games can proceed this weekend.

“If you or your child is scheduled to play sport this weekend, please check with your sporting code’s website for information about whether games are going ahead.”

Public transport will operate as normal but physical distancing is encouraged.

WELLINGTON

Wellington City Council said most of its services and facilities would remain open, but contact tracing and some restrictions would be in place.

“We have already experienced alert level 2, and want to ensure we don’t go any higher, so we encourage everyone to follow Ministry of Health advice,” Mayor Andy Foster said.

“Stay safe, stay separate where possible, stay healthy and hygienic, stay traceable, and stay home if you’re sick.”

All council-run pools and gyms would remain open, but cash was discouraged and contact tracing was compulsory through the Covid-19 or Rippls apps or manual registers.

Group fitness classes were cancelled at Freyberg Pool and Fitness Centre, while class sizes would be reduced at the Wellington Regional Aquatic Centre in Kilbirnie.

Rubbish and recycling collection were operating as usual, but restrictions would be in place at the Southern Landfill.

All libraries were open but visitor numbers were being restricted to enable social distancing.

This week’s public feedback events on proposals for the earthquake-prone central library were cancelled.

Parking fees and restrictions would remain in place.

The Harbourside Market would be closed on Sunday. Community centres would remain open but there could be changes to programmes and services.

Thursday’s Planning for Growth event at Te Papa to discuss the council’s 30-year housing plan would now be held online.

Council meetings would be held on Zoom and livestreamed on YouTube, but council staff were not required to work from home unless they had visited Auckland in the past two weeks or were considered to be at risk.

DUNEDIN

Libraries, customer service centres, museums and swimming pools will have shorter opening hours and limited services under level 2 restrictions, the city council said, along with specific measures for managing queues and numbers of people at each location.

The main city library will have numbers capped at 100, with fewer in smaller ones such as those at Mosgiel and Port Chalmers.

Parks and reserves remain open, along with playgrounds and the Dunedin Botanic Garden, but visitors are asked to observe physical distancing and wash or sanitise their hands after using play equipment.

Gyms must be booked to help prevent the spread of Covid-19 and workouts restricted to one hour, while Moana pool is available for lane swimming and aqua jogging only - with shorter opening hours.

Kerbside rubbish collection will continue as normal.