NZOIA Reponse to COVID-19 - 23 March 2020
NZOIA Staff are now working remotely and are available to assist with enquiries.
ALL COURSES CANCELLED until 30 June 2020
At the time of writing the Ministry of Health has a confirmed one hundred and two cases of COVID-19 in New Zealand.
New Zealand is currently at Alert Level 3 – Restrict (heightened risk that disease is not contained) and will be moving to Level 4 – Eliminate (likely the disease is not contained) within the next 48 Hours.
It is a time to go home, isolate and be safe with your families for the benefit of all New Zealander’s. All NZOIA courses will be cancelled until the 30 June 2020 when we will reassess the situation. We are contacting all Assessors, candidates/trainees and model clients to inform them of this update.
Applications and Course Fees – If your course has been cancelled you can choose to transfer your application to a future course and hold your fee in credit or request a full refund of your fee which we will honour as soon as we can. All those enrolled on cancelled Refresher Workshops will have their qualification extended for 6 months.
Post 30 June 2020 courses and Symposium – At this stage we are continuing with our July and onward courses including the NZOIA National Training Symposium. We will still be accepting and processing applications and registrations for these. A decision on whether the Symposium goes ahead will be made by the 1 July 2020. If cancellation is necessary all fees will be refunded. NZOIA is in a financially stable position to do this.
NZOIA Members
We understand that this situation will be having a big effect on many of our membership both emotionally and financially. During this time, it is important to take care of ourselves, our whanau and our community. Employers also have a duty to minimise risk to staff. The situation is constantly changing and we need to act decisively. Being in isolation doesn’t mean you have to stay inside. You can still get out in the fresh air as long as you maintain a distance of 2m between anyone that you are not in isolation with.
The Government has announced an Economic Response Package to help cushion the impact of COVID-19 and support the economy during the COVID-19 crisis. This is being updated as I write but currently includes:
- Wage subsidy scheme
- Leave and self-isolation support
- Business cash flow and tax measures
- Wider $12.1 billion package
If you are experiencing a cough, a high temperature (at least 38 degrees Celsius) and/or shortness of breath, and have recently been to a country or area of concern, or have been in close contact with someone confirmed with COVID-19 please call the Healthline on 0800 358 5453 or your Doctor immediately.