ISSUE
Friday, August 15, 2025
Volume 16 . Issue 72
Hipkins said the change in alert levels was justified for several reasons, including an ongoing decline in cases.
He said it had been three weeks since the most recent simplification to the traffic light system, and despite the "significant relaxation of the settings, we've continued to see positive improvements in the overall trajectory".
He said case numbers now sit below 10,000 new cases per day for the first time since 24 February, and that hospitalisations in Auckland were lower, with all three DHBs each reporting fewer than 100 patients for the first time since late February.
Planned care delivery is also increasing day by day, and deaths were also decreasing, from a seven-day rolling average of 20 a week ago, to 13 now.
"The overall picture is a very positive one."
The chnage ot the orange traffic light setting means there are no indoor or outdoor capacity limits and no seated and separated rules.
Face masks remain an important protection and are encouraged, but are largely no longer required.
They are still required at some gatherings and events, close-proximity businesses like hairdressers and food-and-drink businesses.
Masks are also no longer required in schools, though they are again still encouraged. The ministry is providing further advice to schools about increasing ventilation.
Hipkins said mask requirements in schools will no longer be justified in all cases, some will have high rates of vaccination or immunity through having had Covid-19, and others might not be experiencing outbreaks at all, so it "does move to a more localised response from schools".
Hipkins urged the roughly 1 million New Zealanders who have not yet got booster shots to do so, saying New Zealand fared much better than many other countries because of high levels of vaccination.
He said the only question in considering settings was over whether the move to orange would be tonight or tomorrow, and ultimately the evidence was very in favour of moving to orange.
The next review of the traffic light settings will be in mid-May.
Hipkins said the change in alert levels was justified for several reasons, including an ongoing decline in cases.
He said it had been three weeks since the most recent simplification to the traffic light system, and despite the "significant relaxation of the settings, we've continued to see...
Hipkins said the change in alert levels was justified for several reasons, including an ongoing decline in cases.
He said it had been three weeks since the most recent simplification to the traffic light system, and despite the "significant relaxation of the settings, we've continued to see positive improvements in the overall trajectory".
He said case numbers now sit below 10,000 new cases per day for the first time since 24 February, and that hospitalisations in Auckland were lower, with all three DHBs each reporting fewer than 100 patients for the first time since late February.
Planned care delivery is also increasing day by day, and deaths were also decreasing, from a seven-day rolling average of 20 a week ago, to 13 now.
"The overall picture is a very positive one."
The chnage ot the orange traffic light setting means there are no indoor or outdoor capacity limits and no seated and separated rules.
Face masks remain an important protection and are encouraged, but are largely no longer required.
They are still required at some gatherings and events, close-proximity businesses like hairdressers and food-and-drink businesses.
Masks are also no longer required in schools, though they are again still encouraged. The ministry is providing further advice to schools about increasing ventilation.
Hipkins said mask requirements in schools will no longer be justified in all cases, some will have high rates of vaccination or immunity through having had Covid-19, and others might not be experiencing outbreaks at all, so it "does move to a more localised response from schools".
Hipkins urged the roughly 1 million New Zealanders who have not yet got booster shots to do so, saying New Zealand fared much better than many other countries because of high levels of vaccination.
He said the only question in considering settings was over whether the move to orange would be tonight or tomorrow, and ultimately the evidence was very in favour of moving to orange.
The next review of the traffic light settings will be in mid-May.
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