Bishops note the easing of Covid restrictions during Easter

The Catholic bishops of New Zealand are delighted with the easing of Covid’s restrictions.

The government announced on Wednesday a limit of 200 people for those who have a vaccine pass at religious gatherings such as Mass, the bishops’ conference said in a statement.

“It is indeed welcome that these restrictions be lifted in the middle of Lent and a little over three weeks after Easter,” the statement said.

Bishop Stephen Lowe says that when bishops supported vaccine passes and similar restrictions when they were introduced last November, their support was based on the emergency pandemic that was at the time.

He warns that easing restrictions does not mean it is “ordinary life. We know that the virus will continue to affect the way we celebrate in our churches for some time to come, ”he says.

People who gather inside the church will still need to be careful, and we will need to avoid certain ways of celebrating rituals that can facilitate the spread of infections, Lowe says.

Manage your own security

Responding to the easing of restrictions, epidemiologist Professor Michael Baker advises people to reconsider now Covid’s restrictions are starting to ease.

“If you don’t have major illnesses and you’re not particularly old, you can still go out and enjoy life – just try to do it safely.”

This means wearing the right mask in the right conditions. He recommends wearing a respiratory mask such as the N95.

Older people or people with weakened immune systems – even those who are vaccinated – have less choice, he says.

“The only thing you can do in this situation is to significantly reduce your contacts.”

This is a point backed by the chairman of the government’s Covid-19 Strategic Health Advisory Group, Professor Sir David Skeg.

Skeg told the NZ Herald that for this and subsequent outbreaks people are asked to consider their behavior and risk appetite.

In Australia, as the number of Covid-19 cases grows, Prime Minister Scott Morrison is spending big money, giving nearly 2 billion Australian dollars to conclude a deal with Moderna to produce 100 million mRNA as part of a 10-year pandemic plan. .

With 62,000 new infections on Wednesday, the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunization met to finally approve a fourth strike before winter.

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News category: New Zealand.