Level 2 advice for members
From 12 noon Wednesday 12th August until at least midnight on Friday 14th August all of New Zealand outside of Auckland is under Covid Alert Level 2 restrictions.
A useful summary of the restrictions can be read here.
Under the last Level 2 restrictions considerable work was done to develop and implement safe work practices. We want to make sure those practices are implemented and the problems we found last time are fixed.
These are the key points for work under Alert Level 2:
Workers with higher health risks may consider staying away from work
Those with vulnerable health conditions, or who live with someone with vulnerable health conditions, may be concerned about the risk to their health. The list of conditions that apply are here. If you didn’t work under the last Alert Level 2 because of these risks, or you think they apply to you now, you can request special paid leave from your employer under the COVID-19 Leave Support Scheme . Last time your employer was most likely receiving a wage subsidy so they simply used that for this type of leave. Because the wage subsidy is finished for most employers they will need to apply to receive a subsidy for this leave. If you are eligible you should not have to use your own sick or annual leave.
If you are sick you should not go to work
If you are unwell you should not go to work. If you have any of the symptoms listed here you should stay home, contact your doctor or Healthline (phone 0800 358 5453) about getting a test immediately. You should self-isolate while waiting for the results of your test. If you do not have paid sick leave available then ask your manager for additional paid leave.
If you are sent home from work (because of temperature screening for example) your employer should pay any shifts you miss as a result.
If you are diagnosed with Covid19 you will be eligible for the COVID-19 Leave Support Scheme.
If you need assistance you can contact PWUA as follows:
Email: support@pwua.org.nz