The New Zealand Government has announced at 4 PM today (Monday, 12 September 2022) that the COVID-19 Protection Framework will end at 11:59 PM tonight. The COVID-19 Protection Framework is also known as the “Traffic Light System”.
Changes include, but are not limited to:
- Only people who test positive for COVID-19 must isolate at home for seven (7) days.
- Household contacts can go about their daily lives but they must return a negative RAT (rapid antigen test) result before going out and about every day for five (5) days.
- All vaccine mandates related to COVID-19 will be gone from Monday, 26 September 2022.
- Mask mandates are also dropped in all settings except healthcare and aged care facilities.
This does not mean the COVID-19 pandemic is over but that Aotearoa New Zealand is moving into a different approach to managing the pandemic within our communities. Remember that the threat of “Long COVID” remains, and scientists do not yet know the full effects that either COVID-19 or “Long COVID” brings.
At The National School of Aesthetics / Te Kura Whakaoho ā Roto ā Waho, we encourage you to:
- Wear a mask if you have mild cold-like or flu-like symptoms, are testing negative for COVID-19 and feel well enough to attend class / your appointment with us;
- Stay home if you have moderate-to-severe cold-like or flu-like symptoms and are testing negative for COVID-19;
- Wear a mask if you want to wear one in order to protect yourself from possible exposure or illness;
- Ensure your immunisations (including for COVID-19) are up-to-date.
You will still need to sign in using the tablet on reception if you are:
- A visitor (client, model, applicant, interviewee, someone accompanying an applicant or interviewee, member of the public, and so on)
- A student (only if you are not in class / on the roll that day)
This is for health and safety reasons, e.g. if there is a fire or earthquake, we know who is in the building and can evacuate them safely.
Our team will be discussing our approach to the changes in the Government’s approach to COVID-19 and update our policies and procedures accordingly.
You can find information on our response to the COVID-19 pandemic on our COVID-19 Regulations page.