Angie Warren-Clark Labour MP

It's been a big couple of weeks in the Bay of Plenty, with Delta's unwelcome and uninvited arrival.

Our communities have responded by checking the locations of interest and going out to get tested if symptoms arise. This is exactly how we need to adapt to Covid-19 as we enter the next chapter of this historical story: minimise and protect.

Let's keep checking the locations of interest, self-monitoring for symptoms and getting tested if any arise. Please be patient with our testing staff - they are working diligently.

New Zealand enters this next phase with high vaccination rates, a strong economy and fewer hospitalisations and deaths. It wasn't long ago that getting our country to a 90 per cent vaccination rate almost seemed like a pipe dream. Yet here we are, on track to reach 90 per cent fully vaccinated next month.

Here in the Bay of Plenty, at the time of writing we are currently sitting at 88 per cent for first doses and 78 per cent for second doses. The reality is that 169,679 of us have had both doses! We only need 4238 people to roll up their sleeves for their first dose and have just 25,568 second doses to go.

These numbers give you the bigger picture of where we are at as a community, demonstrating unity much more than division. A huge thank you for this collaborative effort!

On December 3, the whole country will move into the new traffic light system, with decisions around which level each region will move into announced this coming Monday. Even at ‘red' in the new system, schools remain open and businesses using vaccine passes can carry on with some limits – for example gyms can be open with up to 100 people and one-metre social distancing.

Hospitality is much the same, granted people are seated. Events and celebrations like weddings go on, with up to 100 people and one-metre distancing. In preparation for this, download your vaccine pass from: www.mycovidrecord.nz, email: help@mycovidrecord.min.health.nz or call: 0800 222 478.

We can now look ahead with relative privilege compared to many other countries. What a time to live in New Zealand!