Bupa NZ COVID Update

27 October 2021 - information sent to care home residents and whānau

Dear Care Home residents, families and whānau,

The Government has announced that Waikato will be staying at COVID-19 Alert Level 3, but from 11.59pm tonight, Wednesday 27 October, there will be a few changes to Level 3 restrictions.

While the Government announced a slight lessening of Alert Level 3 restrictions for Waikato, we need to continue to keep our residents and people safe, and to contain the virus as much as possible. This means there will be no changes to the restrictions in place at our Care Homes.

As more information is provided over the coming days and weeks, we will be constantly reviewing the restrictions and what they mean for our residents and families here at Bupa. We are very mindful of wanting our Waikato Care Home residents reunited with their loved ones as soon as it is safe to do so.

In the meantime, we wanted to remind you about what the continued Alert Level 3 restrictions mean for you and your loved ones:

• Visits to the care home, on compassionate grounds, remain available. Please let me know if you’d like to arrange a visit in these circumstances.
• Now, more than ever, it is important to keep in touch with loved ones using digital devices. The use of a laptop and/or smart phone is available so that families can stay connected. We welcome families providing their loved one with a device if you wish to do so.

We are very aware that these continued restrictions mean that you’ve spent a large amount of time away from your loved ones, and we cannot thank you enough for your understanding and support.

We continue to do our best to care for our residents during these times and to provide them with fun and meaningful activities, as well as ways to keep in touch with family and whānau.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions.

Stay safe. Kia kaha

27 October 2021 - information sent to village residents

Dear residents,

The Government has announced that Waikato will be staying at COVID-19 Alert Level 3, but from 11.59pm tonight, Wednesday 27 October, there will be a few changes to Level 3 restrictions.

The changes for Waikato are:

• Outdoor social gatherings between 2 households can go ahead, with a maximum of 10 people.
• You can travel throughout the region you are in for day trips to do an expanded range of outdoor recreation activities.
• Outdoor exercise classes, for example, yoga, should be limited to 10 people (from up to 10 households), including the instructor. Everyone must stay 2 metres apart.
• Early learning centres can reopen to all children, with a maximum of 10 children in each bubble.

While a lessening of restrictions is a welcome change, we need to continue to keep people safe and to contain the virus as much as possible. This means we are keeping our Care Homes closed to visitors.

We wanted to remind you what Level 3 means for you and your loved ones at Bupa:

• If you have a care home on site, the doors between the care home and village will remain closed.
• Any community centres or communal areas will remain closed. However, the Government’s announcement means that you and your household may now meet one other household, outdoors, at one time, up to a maximum of 10 people. This is a welcome opportunity for you to meet with friends and family, but please remember to stick to the rules, wear a mask and keep your distance from other households gathering outdoors. We encourage you to record who you are meeting with and when.
• There continue to be no resident activities or van outings.
• Visitors who are in your exclusive extended bubble under Alert Level 3, and who you invite into your home, need to sign in with the Government NZ COVID-19 Tracer app, or sign in manually, and observe hygiene protocols.
• If applicable, Respite, Day Care and Wellness Clinics are still not available.
• If your village offers a meal service, this will continue to be available through contactless delivery. Milk deliveries will continue.

We hope you enjoy being able to connect with wider family and/or friends, outdoors.

As more information is provided over the coming days and weeks, we will be constantly reviewing the restrictions and what they mean for our residents and families here at Bupa. We will let you know of any changes as soon as possible.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions. I appreciate your continued understanding and support as we navigate these Alert Level restrictions together.

Stay safe. Kia kaha,