The hard work has paid off for Hamiltonians as the city and parts of the Waikato move to COVID-19 Alert Level 2 at 11.59pm tonight (Tuesday 16 November).

Hamilton City Council is gearing up to resume its remaining operations, reopening Hamilton Pools, including Waterworld and Gallagher Aquatic Centre, and resuming normal operating hours at its community facilities including Hamilton City Libraries and Hamilton Zoo.

Many of Council’s community facilities were already operating at reduced capacity under Alert Level 3, Step 2. Physical distancing, maximum visitor numbers, face coverings and contact tracing measures remain in place.

Chief Executive Lance Vervoort is extremely pleased to see the city get back to a sense of normality.

“The past few months have been tough for us all and we’ve all worked hard to follow the rules and reduce the spread of the virus. I know our local businesses, in particular hospitality, are very much looking forward to welcoming everyone back. So please get out there and support local but do so in a way that is a safe.”

“COVID-19 is still very much in our community. We’re asking Hamiltonians to please adhere to the public health guidelines in place if visiting a Council facility and be kind to our staff and one another.”

General guidelines at Council facilities at Alert Level 2

• Two-metre physical distancing will be expected at all Council facilities, with signs and floor markings in place to help maintain this.
• Visitors will be required to sign in using the COVID Tracer app or manual sign-in sheet.
• Face coverings to be worn inside public facilities.
• Surfaces will be frequently cleaned, and hand sanitiser will be available for visitors to use.
• People who are feeling sick or unwell must stay home.

Key changes to facilities and services at Alert Level 2

• Waikato Museum, Hamilton i-SITE, ArtsPost, Hamilton Zoo and Hamilton City Libraries’ community branches will resume normal hours on Wednesday 17 November.
• The Central Library remains closed for lift upgrades. The Central Library will operate a pop-up library from Monday 22 November.
• Hamilton Pools, including Waterworld and Gallagher Aquatic Centre, will reopen on Wednesday 17 November at 12 noon. The dive pools and barbeques will remain closed.
• The Animal Education and Control Centre will operate at reduced hours (one hour each day between 2pm and 3pm) until Saturday 20 November. On Saturday, the centre will resume normal operating hours (12.30-4.30pm). Adoption visits are by appointment.
• Burials and chapel services have a limit of 100 people.
• Hamilton Cemeteries, Greenwood and Park Chapels are all open.

Council meetings

• Starting Monday 22 November, Elected Members will attend Hamilton City Council meetings in person with some members appearing remotely via Zoom to ensure appropriate physical distancing while at Alert Level 2. This also applies to committee meetings, briefings and workshops.
• The meetings and briefings will be live streamed on the Council’s website for the public to watch and uploaded to our YouTube channel.
• Members of the public can have their say about items on the meeting’s agenda either via Zoom or by providing a written submission. Find out more about this and view our agendas and minutes.

© Scoop Media