Today, the Government announced the removal of all remaining mandatory public health requirements for COVID-19 from Tuesday 15 August 2023. These will be replaced by guidance from the Ministry of Health. 

All COVID-19 requirements removed | Beehive.govt.nz

• Confirmed COVID-19 cases will no longer be legally required to self-isolate
• Masks will no longer be mandatory in any locations

This means that tertiary education providers can operate as normal, and set their own policies and procedures to ensure they meet their obligations to staff and learners, including under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, and the Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021.

The Ministry of Education recommends that tertiary education providers follow COVID-19 health advice, and support staff and learners to do so.

Full COVID-19 health advice can be found at: Unite against COVID-19 (covid19.govt.nz)

The latest health advice on COVID-19 includes:

• Stay at home if you are feeling unwell - if you, or someone in your household develops one or more of the following symptoms, you should take a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) for COVID-19: a runny nose, sore throat, cough, fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, headache, loss of smell or taste, shortness of breath.
   
• If you have tested positive for COVID-19, it is recommended you isolate for 5 days, even if you only have mild symptoms, starting at Day 0, which is the day your symptoms started or when you tested positive, whichever came first. 
   
• If you do need to leave your home during your 5-day isolation period, it is very important you take precautions to prevent spreading COVID-19 to others. You should wear a mask whenever you leave the house.  You should not visit a healthcare facility (except to access medical care), an aged residential care facility, or have contact with anyone at risk of getting seriously unwell with COVID-19.
   
• If you are in isolation at the time of the setting change announcement, we recommend you continue isolating until you have completed 5 days. If you have already been isolating for 6 or 7 days, and are well, you can return to your normal activities.
   
• After completing 5 days isolation – 
  • If your symptoms have resolved and you feel well, you can return to your normal activities.
  • If you still feel unwell, we recommend you stay home until you have recovered.
  • We recommend you wear a mask if you need to visit a healthcare facility or an aged residential care facility, or you have contact with anyone at risk of getting seriously unwell with COVID-19 up until 10 days after your symptoms started or you tested positive.  This is because some people are infectious for up to 10 days.

Free masks are available for you to pick up with free rapid antigen tests (RATs) from participating collection sites. Find a collection centre near you: COVID-19 Testing | Healthpoint

You can find out participating pick-up points for RATs and masks at COVID-19 Testing | Healthpoint or by calling 0800 222 478 and choosing option 1.

We will be updating our advice for tertiary providers and students on the Te Mahau COVID-19 website following today’s announcement.

• COVID-19 | Te Mahau
• Advice for tertiary providers & students | Te Mahau 

For tertiary and international COVID-19 related queries, email:  
COVID19.TertiaryandInternational@education.govt.nz  
 

COVID-19 Advice and Guidance | Te Mahau 
Managing COVID-19 | Te Mahau
Advice for tertiary providers & students | Te Mahau 
Cross-government information about COVID-19 – New Zealand Government   
Resources in te reo Māori – Unite Against COVID-19  
Information to support Pacific communities – Ministry for Pacific Peoples (Facebook)  
Resources in sign language and easy read formats – Unite Against COVID-19  
Advice for international students in NZ – NauMai NZ