Tonight’s move to the Orange traffic light setting will be welcome relief for Kāpiti hospitality venues that have been suffering as a result of restrictions on numbers and social distancing requirements says Kāpiti Coast Mayor K Gurunathan.

“The move to Orange from 11.59pm tonight will mean more people can enjoy our local cafés and eateries which is great news as we head into the long weekend,” says the Mayor.

“However, a cautious approach is still required to ensure we don’t lose sight of the gains we’ve made.

“I encourage people to keep wearing masks when they are out and about as much as possible and in places where it is required – this includes Council’s public facilities and libraries – and to stay home if they are sick. This will help reduce the spread of the virus and other winter bugs in our community.

“Let’s make sure we don’t turn the long tail of COVID into a ski jump – we don’t want numbers to turn upwards again.”

Mayor Gurunathan said the Council was gearing up to transition its services and community facilities to Orange but some things will remain as they are for a few weeks due to staff rosters and the need to keep people safe.

“At this stage, operating hours at Council libraries and aquatics facilities will remain unchanged until after ANZAC weekend due to staff rosters,” says the Mayor. “This also gives the Council team the best chance of keeping our facilities open through the busy school holiday period should staff need to isolate at home.

“The Waikanae Service Centre will remain closed until Monday 2 May due to staff availability but the Ōtaki and Paraparaumu service centres remain open.

“We appreciate that it can be hard to keep track of all the changes but the Council team is working hard to try and make this as seamless as possible.

“Please keep an eye on the Council’s website kapiticoast.govt.nz and Facebook page for service updates.

“These continue to be tricky times but we’ve come a long way since March 2020. COVID hasn’t gone away but I’m confident that with a little more patience and time we will come out the other side of this pandemic with a renewed perspective on life, and all the challenges it continues to throw our way,” says Mayor Gurunathan.

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