This order, which comes into force at 11.59 pm on 10 September 2021, amends the COVID-19 Public Health Response (Alert Level Requirements) Order (No 11) 2021 (the principal order).

Clause 4 amends clause 18 of the principal order, which specifies permitted purposes for travel between alert level areas. The amendments revoke the current permissions relating to children in shared caregiver arrangements and people in shared bubble arrangements in clause 18(2) and (3) and provide a new permission that allows a child to travel through an alert level area if they are going to visit or stay at, or returning from visiting or staying at, the home or place of residence of a shared caregiver (see new clause 18(6)(g)).

Clause 5 amends clause 19A of the principal order, which sets out obligations concerning COVID-19 testing of certain persons travelling into or out of the alert level 4 area, to clarify the reference in clause 19A(2) to an employer.

Clause 6 amends clause 23 of the principal order, which sets out additional face covering requirements for individuals in the alert level 4 area, to—

• clarify that the requirement to wear a face covering when on the premises of a business or service listed in clause 23(1) applies only in respect of any part of the premises that is open to the public; and

• insert new clause 23(4A), which extends the face covering requirement to workers delivering goods to a dwelling house in the alert level 4 area during any part of the trip during which they are not in or on their vehicle.

Clause 7 amends clause 29A of the principal order, which provides that the chief executive of MBIE may authorise certain businesses or services to operate as alert level 4 businesses or services, to correct grammatical errors.

Clause 8 amends clause 38 of the principal order, which sets out exemptions from the additional face covering requirements in clause 37, so that the exemptions also apply to the additional face covering requirement imposed by new clause 46A.

Clause 9 inserts into the principal order new clause 46A, which imposes a specific requirement for workers to wear a face covering when working at a social gathering.

Clause 10 replaces the heading to the third column of Schedule 6 of the principal order to clarify that the face covering rule applies only to parts of premises of businesses and services in the alert level 2 area that are open to the public.

This order must be approved by resolution of the House of Representatives before the expiry of the period described in section 16(2) of the COVID-19 Public Health Response Act 2020. If this does not happen, the order is revoked on the expiry of that period.