Covid Watch

Churches are the latest group to get caught up in the vaccinate debate. 
The Government's introducing vaccination certificates for large events and festivals from sometime next month. 
There's been no official word yet around what it will mean for church gatherings.  
Auckland Church Leaders Group Chair Jonathan Dove told Mike Yardley they're in a challenging position. 
"The church is a big family, like the rest of New Zealand we're not all singing from the same song sheet when it comes to political views or responses to Covid." 
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The cancellation of Canterbury's A and P show is a huge economic loss for the region. 
Three Cup and Show events - the Agricultural Show, Addington Cup Week and Riccarton Park Races - were expected to generate more than four million dollars of visitor spend. 
Christchurch Deputy Mayor Andrew Turner told Tim Dower Christchurch NZ is looking at other events which could mitigate the loss of visitors. 
"Very difficult to see what could replace that large number of visitors that normally would be in town." 
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Waikato Mongrel Mob spokeswoman Louise Hutchinson has denied any members have tested positive for Covid-19.
This follows Chris Hipkins saying the Waikato cluster is a gang network.
Auckland teachers are refusing to return to school for Term 4 until vaccination rates are high enough.
Teachers' unions are on the fence about this situation and are worried about upsetting their members if they decide for teachers to return to school.
The opinions on Jacinda Ardern from the Mood of the Boardroom survey has seen the Prime Minister go down in their ratings.
Lack of detail, targets and dates, poor transparency and stuck in a "kindness echo chamber" were some of the comments made by business leaders in the survey.
Elsewhere, a researcher from Monash University says we should get rid of Facebook.
The problem with Facebook, as the researcher argued, was that it's become so ingrained in our everyday lives that it's too big to get rid of.

Listen above as Hayden Munro and Ben Thomas discuss the day's news with Heather du Plessis-Allan on The Huddle

These teachers’ unions aren't doing themselves any PR favours are they?
The latest from them is that Auckland teachers don’t want to go back to school when Term 4 resumes Monday week.
They think that’s “far too soon”, they’re anxious about having to head back into the classroom when there is community transmission in Auckland, they don’t’ think they should have to when businesses like hairdressers and restaurants are closed and the Government’s been warned if it pushes ahead it faces a teacher backlash.
I’d love to know what hairdressers and restaurant owners think of that.
Because I bet they are desperate to get to work not stay away from it. 
And the community transmission thing is interesting. We are not going to have community-transmission free Auckland again for a very, very long time.
Covid is here to stay now.
Anyway, I’m not here to break the news to the teachers that the Government officially dumped the elimination policy three days ago. 
And I’m not even going to argue whether it’s safe or a superspreader going back to school because even the modellers I’ve spoken to don’t know either way. 
But I just want to point out how differently the teachers’ unions are behaving in comparison to the other unions we generally consider their peers.
Look at the nurses. These guys called off a strike in the middle of their pay negotiations to go back to work during this outbreak. 
And for many of them, that means going face to face with Covid. 
Look at the police. Have they been complaining about having to work on the frontlines this entire outbreak? No. The only complaining they did about Covid was that they wanted the jab and weren’t given it fast enough to keep them safe at work.
And then you have the teachers’ unions. Of all three public sector workforces, the least likely to come into contact with Covid, and yet the most resistant to going back to work.

Newly-installed NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has wasted no time in flagging changes to the state’s road map out of lockdown after a late-night meeting with key officials.

Fronting the public this morning, Mr Perrottet announced a raft of changes as the state prepares to reopen.
The news comes as the state hit the 70 per cent double-dose milestone yesterday, guaranteeing the easing of restrictions on Monday, October 11.
So what’s set to change under NSW’s new leader?
Huge road map changes
Premier Dominic Perrottet, Deputy Premier Paul Toole, Minister for Jobs and Western Sydney Stuart Ayres, Health Minister Brad Hazzard and Minister for Education Sarah Mitchell faced the media on Thursday morning to make an announcement regarding vaccination rates and the Reopening Roadmap.
Under the shakeup, from Monday, indoor swimming pools – which were set to remain closed until December 1 – will be open for “rehabilitation, children’s swimming lessons, organised lap swimming and the like”.
Home visitations will be doubled to allow 10 visitors – not including kids under 12 – instead of five, and the number of people allowed to attend outdoor gatherings will be increased from 20 to 30.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet. Photo / Getty Images



People are seen in Bondi Beach. Photo / NCA NewsWire

From Monday, the caps in relation to weddings and funerals will also lift from 50 to 100.



NSW deputy premier Paul Toole also announced some changes for the regions, with regional workers able to return to work if they’ve had one dose of a vaccination, with the requirement they be fully vaccinated by November 1.
“This has been done because in some areas it was difficult to be able to get vaccines into those areas and what we are doing is giving a grace period to allow those businesses to be able to open their doors from Monday,” he said.
“This will include regional areas outside of Blue Mountains area, Central Coast, Shellharbour and Wollongong.
“This is important because what we are focused on is keeping our communities safe, but also opening up New South Wales.”
From Monday, people who live in regional NSW will be permitted to travel to other regional areas.
Changes at 80 per cent vax rate
There will also be changes which come into effect the Monday after NSW hits that 80 per cent double vaccination rate.
That is widely expected to be reached at around October 21, which would mean more restrictions would ease on the following Monday, October 25.
At that point, people will be able to have up to 20 visitors (excluding kids under 12) at a home, and up to 50 people will be able to gather outdoors.
Up to 3000 people will be able to attend controlled and ticketed outdoor events, nightclubs can reopen for seated drinking only (no dancing) and face masks will no longer be mandatory in offices.
Speaking to ABC News Breakfast, Mr Perrottet earlier explained why he was scrapping the face mask rule, which has emerged as one of the most hated Covid restrictions.
“Face masks, obviously, are important. But ultimately … they’re an impediment for people going back into the office, so we made some changes last night,” he said.
All students will also return to schools by October 25.
There will also be a cap of major outdoor events of 5000.
“That will remain in place but we want to make the point that exemptions for venues will be granted,” the Premier said.
“With Covid-safe plans, venues can apply through NSW Health, the health minister will look through those issues and exemptions will always be made in that space.”
At 80 per cent, residents of Greater Sydney will also be permitted to travel to regional areas.

People are seen enjoying the warm weather and having a picnic in Sydney. Photo / NCA NewsWire

People are seen in Sydney on Monday. Photo / NCA NewsWire

The Waikato Mongrel Mob's denying there's Covid in the region's gangs.
The Government reports a number of gang members have caught the virus in this Delta outbreak.
But Mob spokesperson Louise Hutchinson told Heather du Plessis-Allan that's not the case in her patch.
“From our research, we believe that there is zero Covid amongst gang members in the Waikato.”
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Frustration in Waikato as more cases pop up and boundaries extend.
The region has five new community cases today and Auckland has 24.
Waikato's Level Three boundary has been pushed further south to include Waitomo District, Te Kuiti, Waipa and Otorohanga District.
Waipa mayor Jim Mylchreest told Heather Du Plessis Allan this could have all been avoided if people went out and got vaccinated.
“It appears to people now that the majority are paying a price for the ripe of the anti-vaxxers to not get vaccinated and the community is being held to ransom over it.”
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An Auckland restaurant owner is defending his private picnic booking system.
People can book the outdoor garden space at Midnight Gardener on Ponsonby Road for two hours for $100.
There's a limit of ten people and they have to bring their own food and drink.
The initiatives come after changes yesterday which allows Aucklanders to meet with one other household outdoors.
Owner Luke Dallow told Heather du Plessis-Allan it's plenty safe and he sanitises the space after each group.
“I’m actually for the department of whoever is going to call me and they haven’t called me yet. And it’s been in the media for what — 24 hours? I would’ve supposed if they were really worried about it, they would’ve given me a call and said ‘shut down.’”
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Auckland teachers don't want to go back to school until jab rates are high enough.
Schools are likely to start back in the region on October 18 when the holidays finish.
The Post Primary Teachers' Association want to delay returning until 80 per cent of the eligible population is fully vaccinated.
Michael Cabral-Tarry told Heather du Plessis-Allan they want it to be completely safe for both teachers and students.
“Mum and Dad New Zealand don’t want their kid to go to school in the morning and catch Covid because they stood too close to the wrong person.”
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Otago University Associate Professor of Immunology James Usher joined Simon Barnett and James Daniels to explain how rapid antigen testing works compared to other methods of testing like PCR and saliva testing.
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