Alert Level 2 rules relevant to Churches

Thursday, May 7th, 2020

Gatherings and events
You can attend gatherings of no more than 100 people, like weddings, funerals, family events, concerts, religious services and public meetings, provided public health measures (see conditions below) can be maintained.

All gatherings outside of the home (indoors and outdoors) can have no more than 100 attendees, excluding staff like waiters. Indoor gatherings should be seated if possible, and should be approximately two hours long.

Food and drink consumption is fine at gatherings, so you can have food at wedding receptions or after a funeral or tangihanga. It should be prepared carefully and served individually, for example, not from a buffet.

Additional conditions on gatherings:

Physical distancing and infection prevention and control requirements must be met.
All gatherings should record attendees to ensure contact tracing can be conducted if necessary.
Hospitality guidelines regarding alcohol consumption need to be strictly adhered to.
You can’t participate in any gatherings or events if you have COVID-19 symptoms or if you need to be in isolation/quarantine for any reason.

Public venues:
Many public venues, such as museums, food courts and markets, will be open again at Alert Level 2. However, there will be restrictions in place including the requirement to keep groups of attendees 1 metre apart. This might require limiting the number of people inside at once. Some venues may stay shut if they can’t open safely.

At private homes:
You can have friends and family over to your home, but play it safe — keep surfaces clean, wash your hands, and keep the numbers low so you can practice safe distancing.