The Covid-19 vaccine mandate for border workers and Corrections staff will be lifted by the end of the week, the Government has announced.
Covid-19 Response Minister Ayesha Verrall said the mandate will be lifted on Saturday, July 2.
It comes amid a high rate of vaccination among the staff, with 100% of Corrections staff in prisons and 97% of active border workers fully vaccinated.
“As we have previously said we keep vaccine mandates under continuous review and remove them when safe to do so,” Verrall said in a statement on Wednesday.
She said the risk posed by Covid-19 to staff at the border is “much lower than it was previously”.
“Alongside high rates of vaccination amongst border workers the number of passengers arriving by air with Covid-19 is less than 3%," she said.
On July 2, 2022 the requirement for those workers to be fully vaccinated will end. (Source: Breakfast)
“Corrections staff will also no longer be included in the Vaccination Order. Currently all Corrections staff in prisons are fully vaccinated and 72% of people in prison have been fully vaccinated.
“How we manage Covid-19 in Aotearoa continues to change and as certain protections are no longer required, we have shown we will remove them.”
Verrall added that the high level of vaccination among the wider population and “increasing protection in the population from prior infection” mean “tools like vaccine mandates in most settings are no longer necessary”.
“Our Corrections and border workers have played an extremely important role throughout the pandemic.
“I can’t thank them enough for their dedication and commitment to keeping us all safe.”
Mandates will remain in place for health and disability workers due to their close contact with vulnerable and immunocompromised people.
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