COVID-19 Update Wednesday 17 February

Latest COVID-19 update from Awanuiārangi

We write with some updates in relation to our COVID-19 response.

We are pleased to report that the staff member who has been isolating at home as a precautionary measure, is well. We’ve been working with Toi Te Ora Public Health on this and we want to clarify that this staff member was in contact with a couple who thought they may have had contact with the community case in Auckland. Test results of the couple have both returned negative. Click here to read the full media statement from Toi Te Ora Public Health confirming this.

As the statement notes, this provides us with reassurance there has been no known exposure to kaimahi and tauira at our Whakatāne campus, and the risk to the campus, kaimahi and wider community is very low.

Thank you everyone for your support as we continue to navigate our way through this pandemic, and in particular to the staff member who took all the appropriate steps and followed our COVID-19 protocols. As mentioned previously, the measures we take in these instances are precautionary safeguards, and we are really pleased with how our communities have responded in this instance.

At Awanuiārangi, we have a wide age demographic across our kaimahi and tauira, including some who are considered vulnerable and at-risk, so our protocol is to always apply extra caution when it comes to COVID-19. This will continue to be our approach to ensure the health and safety of all our tauira and kaimahi.

Refer to our earlier communications here for more detail on what the Alert Level changes mean for our three campuses currently, and we’ll be in touch later today with a further update on these, following the Government’s announcement after 4.30pm.

Orientation

Given the current Alert Levels and the logistics involved in rolling out orientation activity, the on-campus Orientation that was scheduled to be held for Tāmaki on Mon 22 February, and Whangārei on Wednesday 24 February, has been cancelled.

Tauira will instead be provided with key orientation resources online via the Awanuiārangi website. This will include information on support services our Wānanga provides to assist in the successful academic journey of tauira. Our orientation committee will be in touch with tauira and kaimahi to confirm next steps.

Programme delivery by location and Alert Level

• Alert Level 2: Whakatāne campus, Whangārei campus and delivery sites located outside of the Auckland region (e.g., marae-based)
• Programme delivery will continue (i.e., noho, face-to-face, blended delivery)
• Noho can still be held kanohi ki te kanohi.
• 
  Alert Level 3: Tāmaki campus and delivery sites within the Auckland region
• Programme delivery will be online for the duration of the Alert Level 3 lockdown
• All noho are to be held online until further notice.

If programmes need to be postponed for any reason, kaiako will keep tauira informed.

Awanuiārangi protocols

While we await a decision from the Government in regard to Alert Levels later today, we want to re-emphasise the protocols all kaimahi and tauira need to follow, regardless of the Alert levels:

• 
  Sign-in procedures on Campus:
• Everyone entering and leaving all programme delivery sites is required to follow the check in and check out procedures so that we can contact trace quickly and effectively should the need arise.
• There is a single point of entry on all campus locations (Main Reception) and signing in and out from the Main Reception using the free EVA QR code system, the tablet sign-in (at our Tāmaki Campus) or manually, is compulsory.
• Please also use the NZ COVID Tracer app for you to record where you’ve been, and who you’ve seen. Make sure your Bluetooth is turned on when doing so.

• Stay home if you’re sick:
• If you have COVID-19 or flu-like symptoms, please stay, home, get tested and contact Healthline or your Doctor.
• If you are required to be tested, inform your Manager/Kaiako and do not come to campus/delivery sites.
• Your close work contacts will also need to work from home until a negative result is produced, so it’s important you let us know who you have been in close contact with on campus.

Practice safe hygiene and physical distancing: Thoroughly wash hands with soap, cough or sneeze into your elbow, maintain a physical distance of two metres.

Mask-wearing: Wear a mask on public transport. In Auckland, wear a mask in all public areas and public transport.

Familiarise yourself with our protocols by Alert Level: Our approach for each Alert Level is outlined in detail on our FAQ page here. I encourage you all to check these regularly and familiarise yourself with our procedures as we need to be able to activate these quickly at short notice.

We know the COVID-19 situation can bring on feelings of stress and anxiety. Our website has a number of useful links on support available here, and if you have any pātai, please do not hesitate to get in touch: email us at ssc@wananga.ac.nz (tauira) or COVID-19@wananga.ac.nz (kaimahi).

Further updates will continue to be communicated as these are available. Continue to check your emails and follow the Awanuiārangi website and Facebook page for all our updates.

In the meantime, please don’t panic, follow the safety measures in place, and look after one another. Thank you for your commitment and continued support whānau. Stay safe.

Media Statement Toi Te Ora Public Health