Kei ngā whatu mauri o ngā tihi whakarongo kōrero, kei ngā paritū kārangaranga, tēnei te reo o te Manatū Hauora te mihi atu rā ki a koutou katoa.
On Wednesday, the Prime Minister announced a number of changes to each of the traffic light settings. These changes, which come into effect from 11.59pm tonight (Friday 25 March), will see an easing of restrictions across each of the three traffic light settings.
Kia mōhio mai, Aotearoa remains at Red (this will be reviewed by Cabinet on 4 April), and the changes announced to the Red setting will take effect tonight. These include no limits on outdoor gatherings, an increase in the number of people allowed to gather inside, and the removal of the requirement to scan when you’re out and about.
In addition, the Government has announced that from 11.59pm on 4 April, My Vaccine Pass will no longer be required (although individual businesses may continue to use this); and that some government vaccine mandates for specific workforces will be removed.
Full details of all these changes can be found on the Unite Against COVID-19 website.
Heoi anō, in today's pānui:
· COVID-19 related deaths
· All Sorts campaign to promote hauora hinengaro begins
· General update
John Whaanga - Deputy Director-General, Māori Health
COVID-19 related deaths
E whakaaro tonu ana ahau ki ngā whānau e noho kirimate ana i tēnei wā, ki ngā manawa e kōrangaranga ana i te rironga atu o ngā mate huhua o te wā. Me taku īnoi atu ki te Atua Matua, kia korowaitia ēnei ki tōna parawai aroha.
Today we are sadly reporting the deaths of 13 people with COVID-19. These deaths take the total number of publicly reported deaths with COVID-19 to 234 and the seven-day rolling average of reported deaths to 11.
Of these 13 deaths we are reporting today, four people are from the Tāmaki region, one is from Bay of Plenty, one is from Waikato, one is from Hawke’s Bay, one is from Taranaki, one is from MidCentral, and four are from the Te Whanganui-ā-Tara region.
One of these people was in their 30s, three people were in their 60s, five people were in their 70s, three people were in their 80s, and one person was in their 90s. Ka mutu, eight were men and five were women.
My whakaaro and aroha continue to be with every person grieving the loss of a loved one right now. Mā te Wāhi Ngaro rātou e raupī.
All Sorts campaign to promote hauora hinengaro begins
The Ministry of Health, in partnership with the Mental Health Foundation, has launched All Sorts, a multi-media mental wellbeing campaign to support New Zealanders through the challenges of the latest wave of COVID-19.
All Sorts is here to remind whānau that it's okay to be feeling all sorts of emotions right now, and there are different ways of coping and supports available. It reminds us that we can get through this with the support of friends, whānau, and our communities. The wellbeing tips and advice promoted through this campaign will make a positive difference for many people during a challenging time.
This multi-media social marketing campaign, which includes television, radio, online advertising as well as a website, has been funded as part of the $5.6 million psychosocial response fund the Ministry of Health received in November 2021. The campaign will run from now through to July 2023, with a strong focus on supporting New Zealanders through the current Omicron outbreak.
This campaign will be further supported by a Māori-specific campaign we'll be launching later in the year. I will keep you updated on that kaupapa as the work progresses.
15,871 new community cases, 899 people in hospital, 27 people in ICU
Please remind your friends and whānau to get information on COVID-19 and the vaccine from our trusted sources – the Ministry of Health website, Unite Against COVID channels, Karawhiua channels, and the Te Puni Kōkiri ‘COVID-19 Information for Māori’ portal.
For guidance on protecting yourself and your whānau from COVID-19 misinformation and scams, please visit the Unite Against COVID website.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me or my team at Māorihealth@health.govt.nz
Nā reira, ko te tūmanako kei te horahia tonutia te korowai aroha o ngā hua nui ki runga i a koutou katoa. Mauri tū, mauri ohooho, mauri ora!