Bupa NZ Covid Alert Level Updates

22 February 2021 - information sent to care home residents and rehabilitation clients under Alert Level 1 (now Auckland)

Dear residents, clients and whānau,

The Prime Minister announced this afternoon that the Auckland region with move to COVID-19 Alert Level 1 as of midnight tonight, joining the rest of New Zealand at this Alert Level.

The points outlined below come into effect from midnight tonight.

Updated visitor guidelines

At Alert Level 1 most restrictions are removed and there is no requirement for physical distancing. The following guidelines are still in place:

• We continue to ask that you do not visit if you feel at all unwell, e.g. have a temperature or have any gastro / cold / flu symptoms.
• Entry to the facility must continue to be through the main reception.
• You will be required to sanitise your hands on arrival.
• All visitors must sign in via the EVA Visitor Registration App at reception, or on the paper-based Contact Tracing Spreadsheet. As part of this, all visitors must read and agree to a Health Declaration and Privacy Statement.

• You will no longer be required to wear a mask while moving through the facility.

• Residents and clients can have the option to take a Contact Tracing Form when leaving the facility to visit family and whānau, for completion while out.
• NOTE: At Alert Level 1 the Government requires everyone to wear a mask while using public transport, including: on long-distance bus and train journeys and most ferries and on domestic flights throughout New Zealand.

Thank you again for understanding and for helping us maintain the safest possible environment for your loved ones in our facility.

22 February 2021 - information sent to village residents under Alert Level 1 (now Auckland)

Dear Resident,

The Prime Minister announced this afternoon that the Auckland region with move to COVID-19 Alert Level 1 as of midnight tonight, joining the rest of New Zealand at this Alert Level.

This means, from midnight tonight, all Bupa Retirement Villages in Auckland will return to normal at Alert Level 1, however contact tracing will remain in place for all external visitors.

The Government advice that remains in place is:

• If you’re sick, stay home. Do not socialise.

• Practice good hygiene measures, including washing your hands, coughing or sneezing into your elbow and cleaning surfaces.

• Keep track of where you’ve been and who you’ve seen.

• NOTE: At Alert Level 1 the Government requires everyone to wear a mask while using public transport, including: on long-distance bus and train journeys and most ferries and on domestic flights throughout New Zealand.

Thank you for your ongoing understanding and kindness to your fellow residents and our team as we navigate the continuing COVID-19 alert level restrictions together.

17 February 2021 - information sent to care home residents and rehabilitation clients under Alert Level 2 (Auckland Only)

Dear Care Home residents, Rehab clients and whānau

The Prime Minister announced this afternoon that the greater Auckland area is moving down to Alert Level 2, and the rest of New Zealand to Alert Level 1, from midnight tonight, until Monday 22nd February.

For all of our Bupa facilities now under Alert Level 2, we are now be open for visiting, however, we have decided to implement visitor mask wearing effective from midnight tonight.

This is a proactive step we are taking to keep our residents, clients, and teams safe. We are closely following the Ministry of Health updates on this occurrence and will revise our instructions as new information comes to hand.

• Mask wearing: We require all visitors to wear masks, so please either bring your own masks or we will provide one if you do not have one.

• The Ministry of Health have released a list of locations of interest related to these COVID-19 community cases. Please make sure you have reviewed this list, which can be found on the MoH website.

• People who have attended one of the MoH listed locations during the relevant timeframes are asked to please stay at home, get a test and wait until a negative result comes back. 

The points below remain in place at ALL of our Bupa facilities:

• We continue to ask that you do not visit if you feel at all unwell, e.g. have a temperature or have any gastro / cold / flu symptoms.
• Entry into our facilities must be through the main reception and you will be required to sanitise your hands on arrival.

• All visitors must sign in via the EVA Visitor Registration App at reception, or on the paper-based Contact Tracing Spreadsheet. As part of this, all visitors must read and agree to a Health Declaration and Privacy Statement.

• Residents have the option to take a Contact Tracing Form when leaving our facilities to visit family and whānau, for completion while out. We also strongly encourage them to use the NZ COVID Tracer QR code for each location they visit.

The Ministry of Health will next provide an update on Monday 22nd February. After this time, we will review our guidance and be in touch with you if the above changes in any way. Thank you again for your understanding and for helping us maintain the safest possible environment for your loved ones in our care.

17 February 2021 - information sent to village residents under Alert Level 2 (Auckland Only)

Dear residents,

The move to COVID-19 Alert Level 2 announced by the Government from midnight Wednesday 17^th marks a significant and welcome step for those of us in Auckland.

As you would expect, this move down alert levels again has implications for the measures in place at our Bupa Retirement Villages and how we go about our day to day lives.

From midnight tonight, the below guidance applies to visiting a Bupa Retirement Village in Alert Level 2 regions:

• Communal areas are now open again, but as an extra precaution please observe personal hygiene and physical distancing.

• Visitors can now visit using communal spaces.

• Van outings and meal service now resume.

• Respite, day care and wellness clinics are now open.

• We continue to ask that people do not visit if they feel at all unwell, e.g. have a temperature or have any gastro / cold / flu symptoms.
• Entry into our facilities must be through the main reception and visitors are required to sanitise their hands-on arrival.

• All visitors must sign in via the EVA Visitor Registration App at reception, or on the paper-based Contact Tracing Spreadsheet. As part of this, all visitors must read and agree to a Health Declaration and Privacy Statement.

• At Level 2 all visitors to our Care Homes are required to wear masks. If you wish to visit someone within the Care Home, please either bring your own mask or we will provide one if you do not have one.

The rules that apply to the general public also apply to village residents, however we ask that you apply extra caution wherever you can. All Level 2 Government guidance can be found at covid19.govt.nz

The Government will review these current Alert Levels on Monday 22^nd February and we will update you accordingly.

17 February 2021 - information sent to care home residents and rehabilitation clients under Alert Level 1

Dear residents, clients and whānau,

The move to COVID-19 Alert Level 1 announced by the Government today marks a significant and welcome step forward for those outside of Auckland.

The points outlined below come into effect from midnight tonight.

Updated visitor guidelines

At Alert Level 1 most restrictions are removed and there is no requirement for physical distancing. The following guidelines are still in place:

• We continue to ask that you do not visit if you feel at all unwell, e.g. have a temperature or have any gastro / cold / flu symptoms.
• Entry to the facility must continue to be through the main reception.
• You will be required to sanitise your hands on arrival.
• All visitors must sign in via the EVA Visitor Registration App at reception, or on the paper-based Contact Tracing Spreadsheet. As part of this, all visitors must read and agree to a Health Declaration and Privacy Statement.

• You will no longer be required to wear a mask while moving through the facility.

• Residents and clients can have the option to take a Contact Tracing Form when leaving the facility to visit family and whānau, for completion while out.

Thank you again for understanding and for helping us maintain the safest possible environment for your loved ones in our facility.

17 February 2021 - information sent to village residents under Alert Level 1

Dear resident,

The move to COVID-19 Alert Level 1 announced by the Government today marks a significant and welcome step forward for those outside of Auckland.

From midnight tonight, all Bupa Retirement Villages outside of Auckland will return to normal at Alert Level 1, however contact tracing will remain in place for all external visitors.

The Government advice that remains in place is:

• If you’re sick, stay home. Do not socialise.

• Practice good hygiene measures, including washing your hands, coughing or sneezing into your elbow and cleaning surfaces.

• Keep track of where you’ve been and who you’ve seen.

Thank you for your ongoing understanding and kindness to your fellow residents and our team as we navigate the continuing COVID-19 alert level restrictions together.