Kia Ora, Kia Orana, Malo e lelei, Talofa lava, Fakalofa lahi atu, Bula Vinaka, Greetings
Dear Parents and Caregivers
This afternoon the government made two significant announcements:
- Queen Elizabeth II Memorial Day – Monday 26 September
- The new phase of the Covid-19 response
Monday 26 September – Public Holiday
To honour and celebrate Queen Elizabeth II, there will be a one-off public holiday on Monday 26 September. BMPS will therefore be closed on 26 September and will be open again on Tuesday 27 September.
Long-term Approach to COVID-19
The Government has announced that Aotearoa New Zealand will move to a new long-term approach to managing COVID-19. The key change is the removal of the COVID-19 Protection Framework (traffic lights), which will take effect tonight (Monday 12 September) from 11:59pm.
This decision to move away from the traffic lights of the COVID-19 Protection Framework has been made based on public health advice and reflects high levels of immunity in our communities and declining case numbers, which in turn has seen declining demand on the health system from COVID-19.
The key changes are:
The removal of the requirement for household contacts to isolate. Instead, they will be asked to test for COVID-19 for five days. This means that tamariki and staff who are household contacts can continue to attend school unless they test positive for COVID-19.
Positive cases remain legally required to isolate for seven days.
Masks are no longer required on public transport or school transport and in line with other mask changes, they are no longer strongly recommended in school settings. Tamariki and staff who choose to wear a mask at BMPS are welcome to do so.
Please contact the office if you have any questions.
Fee McAree-Ngaau
Tumuaki/Principal