News | 14 February 2021
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Services and facilities in Capital at COVID-19 Alert Level 2

Following the Government announcement today, Wellington City Council can confirm the status of its services and facilities as the city moves into Alert Level 2 at 11.59pm tonight.

Under Alert Level 2, most of Council’s services and facilities will remain the same, but contact tracing and some restrictions will be in place to keep staff and the community safe.

Ministry of Health guidelines for Alert Level 2 include:

  • Washing your hands regularly and thoroughly, with soap and water for 20 seconds or more
  • Coughing and sneezing into your elbow
  • Staying at home if you are unwell. If you are sick call your GP or Healthline to book a free COVID-19 test, and get tested if asked
  • Keeping a distance of one-metre from colleagues and customers as much as possible
  • Consider wearing a mask if you are in a place or space that makes social distancing difficult
  • Ensure you download and are using the Government’s COVID Tracer App and turn on Bluetooth and scan.

We are discouraging the use of cash at Council facilities – please use Eftpos or other contactless payments.

Compulsory contact tracing will be in place through the Government’s COVID-19 app or details will be collected at reception areas.

Key information about facilities and services at Alert Level 2:

Pools and Recreation:

  • All our pools and recreation centres remain open
  • Please keep at least one metre physical distancing for pools, gyms and recreation centres
  • Club Active is open
  • Group Fitness classes at Freyberg are cancelled
  • Group Fitness classes are continuing at WRAC with reduced numbers – booking required
  • All other programmes and classes will continue with some restrictions in place
  • For more information about all pools and recreation centres at Alert Level 2 visit wellington.govt.nz/recreation.

Waste, rubbish and recycling:

  • Rubbish and recycling collection services are operating as usual
  • The Southern Landfill is open but with restrictions in place - Transfer station will be reduced capacity by 50% to allow for social distancing and the kiosk will be contactless payment where possible
  • The Tip Shop and Recycling Centre are open. Recycling drop-off at the Recycling Centre will be delineated to allow for social distancing
  • Contact tracing will be in place and landfill users will have their vehicle registrations noted for this purpose alone.

Libraries:

  • All Library branches remain open - please visit wcl.govt.nz for more information
  • Please check in when you arrive - please stay at least one metre apart from other visitors and staff
  • We are limiting the number of visitors to meet social distancing requirements, so please follow guidance from our staff
  • Please keep visits to under 30 mins while we’re limiting the number of visitors too
  • All programmes and events are cancelled.

Parking enforcement:

  • Motorists are expected to pay for parking in the city – and enforcement will continue.

Building Inspections:

  • We will be conducting inspections on building consents as usual in Alert Level 2. Sites must have all measures and protocols in place in accordance with MBIE construction sector guidance and NZ Covid19 Construction protocols.

Resource Consents:

  • Person-to-person pre-application meetings with a planning technician are not available but are available virtually through MS Teams.
  • For new resource consent applications, and non-resource consent applications we encourage you to apply online.

General:

  • Council committee meetings will continue to meet in chambers, with appropriate distancing and precautions in place. They will be available to view through Council’s YouTube channels
  • Up to 100 people can attend a funeral, tangihanga, kawe/hari mate or unveiling ceremony/hura kōhatu
  • Hospitality businesses must keep groups of customers separated, seated, and served by a single person with a maximum of 100 people at a time
  • The Harbourside Market will not be open if we remain at Level 2 until Sunday
  • Most of our community centres will remain open at Alert Level 2. Please contact your local centre to confirm before you visit, and for information about courses and programmes
  • Toi Pōneke arts centre will be open
  • The Cable Car and Metlink have confirmed that face coverings will be mandatory on all bus, train and ferry services and will continue to run a full timetable from midnight tonight
  • At this stage, Council is encouraging those who can work from home for the next three days to do so. However, Ministry of Health guidelines will be adhered to by those who need to go into work.

Alert Levels update locally and nationwide

  • From 11.59 pm Sunday 14 February, Auckland will move to Level 3 for a period of 3 days, until midnight Wednesday 17 February.
  • The rest of New Zealand will move to Level 2 for the same period.
  • This will be reviewed on a 24-hour basis.
  • For more information about Alert Levels see the Unite Against COVID-19 website https://covid19.govt.nz/.
  • Anyone who has cold or flu symptoms should get a test and stay home until you have a negative test result. Find your local testing facility on the Healthpoint website https://www.healthpoint.co.nz/.

For the most up to date information about the status of all Council facilities and services please visit the Wellington City Council website COVID-19 section wellington.govt.nz/covid-19. Alert Level 2 information is being updated as it gets confirmed.

For the latest Council news and Mayoral updates: News

For the latest updates on social media: Facebook and Twitter

Find Government information and advice: covid19.govt.nz

Businesses and organisations can get QR codes at qrform.tracing.covid19.govt.nz. If you have any problems getting QR codes or with the NZ COVID Tracer app, please contact the Ministry of Health by phone on 0800 800 606 or by email help@covidtracer.min.health.nz.