Alert Level 2 for the Horizons Region

Horizons Regional Council services will essentially continue as normal at Alert Level 2 with extra care given to physical distancing and contact tracing.

Chief executive Michael McCartney says emergency management staff are continuing in a monitoring role and welfare support is on standby.

“At this stage we are not further activating our emergency coordination centre however we are planning for response should we move to Alert Level 3 at any point,” he says.

“All our customer service centres remain open at normal hours although we ask that where possible people pay their rates online so we can keep up physical distancing. Our staff will be behind screens and regular sanitising of surfaces will occur.

“All our other staff that interact with members of the public and externals will continue to do so with physical distancing and contact tracing in place.”

Mr McCartney says public transport services will continue to run as per normal timetables, however with physical distancing in place, which will mean limited capacity.

“We are asking passengers to self-manage physical distancing on the buses by sitting one seat apart and remaining 2 metre away from others while waiting at stops. Due to needing to create more physical space on services we ask that people travel outside peak hours if possible.
 
“Fares will remain in place during Alert Level 2, and while cash will be accepted we highly recommend using a registered Bee Card as this will assist with contact tracing. There will also be posters going up on buses with a QR code available for contact tracing.
 
“If possible wear a face mask as per Ministry of Health and government guidelines and of course if you are sick, please do not travel on public transport. For updates on our transport services, please visit our bus notices page.”
 
Mr McCartney says Horizons will provide further updates should the situation change and recommends keeping an eye on covid19.govt.nz for all of government updates.
 
“Remember the golden rules for Alert Level 2 – keep up personal hygiene, trace your movements, stay home if you are sick and physical distance although if this is not possible, wear a mask. If you have symptoms of COVID-19 please call Healthline or your doctor to discuss testing options.”