Vaccine certificates will be mandatory for people wanting to use Mackenzie District Council recreation centres and community halls from Friday. Certificates will also be required for anyone visiting council offices in Fairlie or Twizel, and for those attending council and community board meetings. Children under 12 are exempt from the requirements.
Resource Recovery Parks, public toilets, playgrounds, parks and cemeteries will not require a vaccine certificate.
Acting Chief Executive Officer, Angela Oosthuizen, said that the vast majority of residents in the District have elected to be vaccinated, and so this approach will cause minimal disruption for most people, while allowing most events and gatherings to go ahead. ’The Mackenzie District looks forward to welcoming visitors from all over New Zealand over the Christmas and New Year holiday, and it’s important that we take all practical steps to protect both our staff and our communities from COVID-19. We are a very small team, and even a handful of employees off sick at any one time could impact our ability to provide essential services and Civil Defence cover to the communities we serve. It’s imperative, therefore, that we take every possible precaution to minimise the impact if and when COVID-19 reaches our community. It is our hope that we can play our part to help avoid a community outbreak over the holiday season and accelerate a move into Green status with fewer restrictions’.
Signage will be posted at all Council offices and facilities before Friday and customers without a certificate who are unable to visit council offices will be able to interact with Council via the telephone or website. ‘We will need to work within the COVID-19 restrictions, but will do everything we possibly can to ensure everyone in our community can access the services they need. Call us any time on 0800 685 8514 and one of our team will discuss the available options’ said Oosthuizen.
Further information is here.