Hawea Playgroup: The Traffic Light System
The new Traffic Light System and what it means for Hawea Playgroup.
Kia ora koutou,
We hope this email finds you safe and well. We’re navigating some tricky times right now, globally, as a nation and as a community. We have been taking the time to discuss the situation at hand at length within our committee and wanted to be sure we send a clear message and we apologise for the delay.
Last Thursday was our last day operating mandate-free, and there were certainly some hugs, tears and tough conversations. We know how important Playgroup is to our families, because it’s just as important for us; which is why we need to protect it.
We’re a not-for-profit organisation, run by a voluntary committee and funded by the Ministry of Education. To continue receiving our much-needed funding in order to keep Playgroup going, we have to adhere to the guidelines set in place, and follow the public health guidance provided.
This has not been an easy thing to digest, and we have not made this decision lightly. We hope everyone can appreciate we’re doing our best to ensure that playgroup is a safe place for all of our whanau. We’re hopeful we can find our way back to “green” in the new year.
New COVID-19 Protection Framework
Everyone in Aotearoa has moved to the new traffic light system as of Friday 3rd December 2021. Our region (and the entire South Island) has moved to Orange.
Under the new traffic light system, Playgroups can be open at all settings (Red/Orange/Green) if vaccine passes are used. This means, parents, caregivers, staff and visitors (anyone over the age of 12) attending Hawea Playgroup, must be vaccinated and provide their Vaccine Pass.
Health measures in place:
The health, safety and wellbeing of our families continue to be a priority for us. The measures we’re all familiar with, will remain in place:
Good hygiene and cleaning
Contact tracing systems
If you are sick, you must stay home and get tested
Good ventilation
While we’re at Orange:
Parents and caregivers are encouraged to wear face coverings indoors and keep 1m distance from other adults.
We will continue to clean toys and the indoor spaces and high contact areas thoroughly, at the end of each session.
We will encourage Playgroup families to spend as much time outside as possible during sessions.
With all of these measures in place, public health has confirmed the risk of infection remains low in early learning settings. However, if someone at Playgroup contracts COVID-19, we have a plan in place to manage this and will contact you as soon as possible.
If you’d like to learn more about the traffic light system visit COVID-19 Protection Framework.
Finally, just a reminder we follow the school terms and will be closed for summer holidays - Tuesday 14th December is our last session for 2021. We’ll re-open in the first week of February, 2022. Stay tuned to our Facebook page closer to the time for more info. And of course, we’ll keep you updated on any changes to the traffic light system or the guidelines, which may affect Playgroup.
Happy Holidays from all of us at playgroup and here’s to a healthy, happy 2022!
Ngā mihi
Hawea Playgroup
