Term One Ends

There are some fierce easterlies but it makes the water less fresh. It's the walk out there that's tough. I watch Kahu's first rugby game for Shirley. Rugby is rough and I see two young men hurt. I'm crossing fingers for mine. He's bullet proof but not indestructible. Fiona and I go to the Sunday Riccarton market, first time I've been in years. It's Covid quieter than it used to be. The highlight is an old man with a sun blistered face. He soldiers on, the habit of a lifetime, and I wonder how long till his outdoor past catches up with him.

The last week of term one... I'm gonna make it. I pass a supermarket trolley up a tree on my ride to work. What a feat! There's still about a third of kids away from school. We're all bored with hybrid learning but last week of term is the home stretch, and who really care? I'm thankful for the respite of sitting kids in front of computers. All care, no responsibility and I've got plenty of time to get jobs and extras done at a sane pace. 9Wdj celebrate with shared food and a movie. At lunchtime I play Capture the Flag in a staff team against the kids and hurt my right forefinger. Stings like the devil and is very swollen with black in the tissue. I refuse to go to hospital, convinced all they'll do is tape it to the next finger which I can do myself. I'm tired.

And of course, it's my birthday...62. I celebrate with a potluck, feels more like a party. There's much to celebrate. Not least, swimming at the beach this late into the season. 

Covid update 12th April

• 11,063 new community cases
• 47 new cases identified at the border
• 622 cases in hospital
• 1,885 total PCR tests in the last 24 hours
• 10,860 total RATs in the last 24 hours
• 1,640 booster doses administered yesterday

From 11.59pm Wednesday 13 April:

• all of Aotearoa moved to Orange in the framework. Cabinet will review the framework colour level again in mid-May.

Professional Learning and Delivery under Orange from Wednesday 13 April

There are no restrictions on numbers of visitors on site at Orange so face-to-face PLD delivery is permitted with public health measures in place.

Face-to-face delivery of PLD can occur at the discretion of the school or kura in agreement with the PLD Provider organisation. All parties must be comfortable with the PLD delivery taking place on site.

If the kura or school is not comfortable with onsite delivery of PLD, sessions should continue via virtual delivery. PLD delivery should not be indefinitely postponed.

For all face-to-face PLD sessions, the following mandatory public health measures must be adhered to:

• QR scanning is no longer a requirement. A PLD facilitator’s visit to a school or kura should still be captured in a visitor register, as is normal practice.
• There are no indoor or outdoor capacity limits.
• Masks are no longer required at school settings. However, face masks are one of the key health measures that we can use to slow the spread of COVID-19 in indoor settings. Anyone who wishes to wear a face mask at Orange should be encouraged and supported to do so. Visitors are strongly encouraged to wear a mask when indoors.

It is important to remain aware a school may decide it is appropriate to have additional health measures in place, such as wearing a mask indoors. Any additional health measures must be followed.

For further information on health measures in place at Orange visit our website.

 

For people covered under the Public Health Response (Vaccinations) Order

Workers in early learning services, schools and kura are no longer required to be vaccinated to work with children or students, or to work on site where children and young people might be present. 

Schools or kura can ask workers and suppliers about their vaccination status if they have a good reason to do so. For example, a staff member is undertaking work which requires vaccination. Schools and kura would need to have sufficient reason for requesting and holding vaccination information and should follow their normal processes for storing private information. 

Odd Jobs Which Have Taken A Lifetime

Life continues. I'm writing this on May 16th after a busy month. Connecting my pc to the TV means I don't sit down in the evenings to update so often. But needs must...speaking of which I need to get a new TV which connects straight to the internet.

I continue buying and selling excess stuff. The tiles have gone well as they are antique fireplace tiles. Not made anymore. Tina makes us gins, Judith has to cancel her birthday bash at mine as Karen's son turns up at hers with Covid and she has to isloate for a week. 

Lis's birthday bash goes ahead. She's been a rabid anti-vaccer/conspiracy theorist. We're all one now and no-one mentions it. There's hours of good dance music fuelled by chemical dance uppers. I stay the night and help with clean up. It's a slow Sunday gardening, the week sees me at the beach in balmy weather for April, I sort out stain for the deck, and putting mirrors up in the bathrooms...at last!  

Update from the Ministry of Health

Today we are reporting 11,634 community cases, 639 hospitalisations and 13 deaths.

It's encouraging to see case numbers continuing to decline. This supports the trend we are seeing across the 7-day rolling average. Today's 7-day average is 11,791, while last Thursday it was 14,515.

From today, people aged 16 and 17 are able to receive a free booster dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at least 6 months after completion of their primary course.

Traffic Lights

Jorge's Chilean friend, Gonzalo, comes to stay, fixes the knife I suspect Kahu munted making a bong out of an aluminium can, and cooks peppers. He's working out by Geraldine on a dairy farm and enjoys the company. Even comes to the beach. There's a cold wind but the water remains swimmable. Warmer in than out. On Saturday I watch some of Bertie's football game then head to Taylor's in the sun. Not enough sunny swims this summer so I'm there with bells on. A party followed by chill out time on Sunday. 

I take my first rapid antigen test on Monday. Have had a scratchy throat and drop in on Theo and Alex. Theo takes one too and his is a light positive, mine definitely ok. Sticking a pointy object as far as possible up my nostrils is unpleasant but swimming in the ocean rinses the passages. Clears them as well. Kahu and James come for dinner on Tuesday. I get a hug. Just one. Lis's birthday on Wednesday and, like me, she celebrates with dinner on the day. I invite myself. The food is outstanding but not many touch my Greek orange and almond cake so I put it back in the tin and take it home. All good, it will get eaten at my house.

 

From 11:59pm on 4 April 2022, there will be no requirement to use My Vaccine Pass. Until 4 April, where My Vaccine Passes are not used, the current restrictions remain — but after this time, the new capacity limits will apply to everyone. Businesses will still be able to use the system if they would like to.

Government vaccine mandates for some workers will be removed. Workers still covered by government vaccine mandates include health and disability sector workers, prison staff, and border and MIQ workers.

New Zealand is at the Red setting. The next review of the traffic light settings is on 4 April. It will review what colour each area of New Zealand sits in....the country remains in Red while case numbers remain high, but we are moving into a new phase of Covid management – ‘living with Covid’.