Dated at Wellington this 5th day of November 2021.
Hon Chris Hipkins,
Minister for COVID-19 Response.
Explanatory note
This note is not part of the order, but is intended to indicate its general effect.
The amendments to the COVID-19 Public Health Response (Required Testing) Order 2020 come into force at 11.59 pm on 7 November 2021. The effect of those amendments is to ensure that the testing requirements in that order that apply to affected education services in an alert level 3 area do not apply to unlicensed early childhood services.
The first group of amendments to the Vaccination Order come into force at 11.59 pm on 6 November 2021 and clarify that the following persons do not belong to the group specified in Part 8 of Schedule 2 of the Vaccinations Order (groups in relation to prisons) and are not required to be vaccinated:
persons appointed or designated by the Commissioner of Police to work in Police jails; and
persons who solely work in and around court cells.
The second group of amendments to the Vaccination Order come into force at 11.59 pm on 7 November 2021. The effect of those amendments is to—
revoke clause 7A, which enables an affected worker to carry out certain work without being vaccinated if a suitably qualified health practitioner determines that it would be inappropriate for the affected worker to receive a COVID-19 vaccination because of their physical or other needs (but existing exemptions under clause 7A for affected workers belonging to a group specified in Parts 6 or 8 of the table in Schedule 2 continue until 21 November 2021 or when an application made on their behalf under new clause 9B is declined, if earlier):
insert new clause 9B, which enables a suitably qualified medical practitioner or nurse practitioner to apply to the Director-General of Health on behalf of an affected worker for a temporary exemption from the requirement to be vaccinated on the ground that they meet the specified COVID-19 vaccination exemption criteria:
require all care and support workers who provide care and support services to a person in the person’s home or place of residence to be vaccinated:
provide that health practitioners who conduct consultations with patients only by remote means (for example, on-line or by telephone) are not required to be vaccinated:
enable the Minister for COVID-19 Response, until 1 January 2022, to grant exemptions under clause 12A to prevent significant disruption to the operation of learning in a registered school or to the essential operation of a hostel:
extend the period for which Police employees working in the health and disability sector or at or for affected education services are treated as vaccinated (until 29 November 2021 if they receive their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine on or before that date, and until 14 January 2022 if they receive their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine on or before 29 November 2021 and their second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine on or before 14 January 2022).
This order must be approved by a 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 that does not happen, the order is revoked on the expiry of that period.
Issued under the authority of the Legislation Act 2019.
Date of notification in Gazette: 5 November 2021.
This order is administered by the Ministry of Health.