New Zealand to shut down recreational car hire

Announcement posted by Car Hire Bookings 27 Mar 2020

Only essential hire

The COVID-19 alert will move to Level 4 from 2359 hours on Wednesday 25

March.

Being at alert level 4 includes severe restrictions on travel.

The primary aim of these restrictions is to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in

New Zealand by reducing contact between people to the bare minimum and

stopping all but essential travel which is described below.

This document provides information about essential transport services during

Level 4 of the COVID-19 response.

For the purpose of this guidance, essential services in the transport sector

cover:

 anything identified in the COVID-19 website

 any transport service involved in the carriage of essential goods or

essential workers

 permitted essential private travel; includes access to groceries, health

care and facilitating shared custody

The exemption for entities and workers carrying out essential services in the

transport sector only applies for the purpose of undertaking essential work. At

all other times, i.e. when the workers or the services the entity carries out are

not required, then these workers must avoid all-non essential travel and follow

the guidance on the Ministry of Health website for alert level 4.

Please note that:

 This guidance is subject to change as the response to COVID-19

evolves.

 Public transport used to transport people working in essential services

(as defined by Covid-19 advisories) includes domestic aircraft, ferries,

buses and trains;

 The entities and workers listed in this guidance must practice physical

distancing and good hygiene even when undertaking essential work (see

26 MARCH 2020 AT 1800 HOURS

covid19.govt.nz) – additional guidance will be prepared for some parts of

the sector, such as public transport for both operators and passengers;

 Essential workers may be asked, while travelling, to show who they work

for. We encourage essential workers to carry some form of identification

to show who they are, who they work for, and their role e.g. a letter

from their employer or work ID;

 An entity that is part of the supply chain and listed in this document, is

considered an essential service.

Start from first principles

When considering whether or not something is essential, please use good

judgement and remember that the aim of the Level 4 alert is to keep people

physically at home and separated from other people.

This is the best way to fight COVID-19 and ultimately save lives in New Zealand.

When using this guidance, consider:

 Does my work support the essentials of life such as emergency or medical

services?

 Am I supplying or moving food, medicine, fuel or other supplies essential to

maintain life?

 Is my work crucial to keeping essential services running? If so, can I perform

this work on an on-demand or as-required basis?

 Stretching the definition of “essential for life” undermines the purpose of

COVID-19 alert level 4 and puts more lives at risk.

 If you have non-essential goods blocking movement of essential goods,

then you should move your non-essential goods to storage elsewhere, but

only move them once and only to get them out of the way of essential

goods.

26 MARCH 2020 AT 1800 HOURS

Aviation

Personnel who work in air services, airlines and airports, when undertaking an

essential service e.g.

 Security, border staff and air traffic control

 Freight and baggage handlers

 Air crew

Any other key personnel needed to keep the airport and airlines, and the

movement of people and air freight, operational.

In relation to other services at airports, vending machines, or dairy-like services

providing pre-packaged food, sealed drinks (no alcohol) and essential items like

medicine are permitted at an airport. No café or other retail can open.

Air travel is only permitted for essential workers relating to response function

for COVID-19 and emergency and essential services.

In relation to all other passengers:

Transit passengers

 New Zealand’s borders will be closed to international transit passengers

from 0200 hours Thursday 26 March 2020 (NZDT); except for agreed

exemptions

Domestic passengers

 Passengers who arrived on international flights after 0200 hours

Thursday 26 March 2020 (NZDT) will not be able to connect to a

domestic flight during the first 14 days after arrival.

Self-isolation and transport required for all arriving passengers

 For all flights arriving in New Zealand after 0200 hours Thursday 26

March 2020, passengers will be required to have an appropriate selfisolation

plan in their city of arrival for the first 14 day period, including

transport to their accommodation.

 Appropriate transport is a private car parked at the airport, being picked

up by someone else who will live in the same self-isolation location. The

self-isolation location must be within 5 hour drive of the airport.

26 MARCH 2020 AT 1800 HOURS

 If passengers do not have appropriate transport to their place of

isolation in their arrival port, officials may provide transport if that is

possible within the local area. If that transport is not possible, they will

be placed in local accommodation which has been approved for isolation

for 14 days.

 For those passengers who do not have an appropriate plan for isolation,

accommodation and transport to that approved accommodation will be

arranged by the Government for the 14 day period.

 After the 14 day isolation period people can move on to their final

destination by domestic air travel, public transport, ferries or private

vehicle.

Pilot examination and competency

Flight examination and competency assessment only for checking pilots

holding commercial and air transport pilot licenses necessary for the provision

of essential aviation services.

Recreation flying

Recreational flying is not permitted.

26 MARCH 2020 AT 1800 HOURS

Maritime

All personnel involved in the movement of freight by ship, internationally and

domestically, when undertaking an essential service e.g.

 Security, border staff and maritime officers

 Ship pilots

 Engineers

 Stevedores

 Port agents

 Appropriate port and portside staff (including port logistics).

Any maritime staff performing the operation of ferry services and water taxis,

for essential workers, and essential trips for others only e.g. for access to food

and healthcare.

This includes the operation of ferries (e.g. the Cook Strait ferries) to move

freight and essential workers.

All other passengers are able to use ferry services to return home before 2359

hours on Friday 27 March 2020, or at a time determined by the National

Controller.

Port operations

The use of essential workers to move essential goods and provide essential

services is paramount and must be prioritised above all other goods and

services at the Port.

Only in the following circumstances can non-essential goods at a port be

transported:

1. if essential workers are already located at the port for the purpose of

dealing with essential goods; and

2. if the movement of non-essential goods at the Port does not impact on:

2.1 the movement of essential goods or

2.2 the delivery of essential services at the Port; or

3. if the movement of non-essential goods are required to create space for

essential goods and the movement of essential goods within the port

and across the supply chain.

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With respect to 3. above:

 additional workers that are required to enter the Port, to assist with the

movement of non-essential goods to create space for essential goods,

become essential workers for the purpose of moving those goods; and

 those goods should only be moved once to a place of storage to get

them out of the way of essential goods.

Shore leave for international maritime workers

Shore leave is only permitted where:

 the vessel/crew have been away from their last Port of call for more

than 14 days

 there has been no suggestion of COVID-19

 they have a place to go to self-isolate, and

 they will travel direct to that place of self-isolation and comply with the

Ministry of Health requirements for alert level 4.

Search and Rescue

Any entity which has arrangements with Maritime New Zealand (including

RCCNZ) or the New Zealand Police, to support search and rescue activity is an

essential service.

This includes (but is not exclusive to): Coastguard, LandSAR, Amateur Radio

Emergency Communications, Surf Life Saving NZ, Rescue/Emergency

helicopters, and Department of Conservation Rescue Teams.

Land Transport

Private travel (personal vehicles)

 People can drive personal vehicles for essential trips only e.g. to access

groceries or healthcare.

 Couples with shared custody of children can move between the two

homes - if they are in the same community.

 Essential workers can also use their personal vehicle to get to and from

their place of work.

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Buses and trains

Workers involved in the operation of public transport services – buses and

trains e.g.

 Operators

 Drivers

 Enforcement officers

Small passenger services (taxis and ride-share)

Workers involved in the operation of small passenger transport services e.g.

 Small passenger service operator

 Driver

 Total Mobility Scheme providers.

Some restrictions will exist in the use of small passenger services on the

Ministry of Transport website shortly.

Rental services

Essential workers are permitted to use rental vehicles.

Any rental vehicle service operator that provides rental vehicle services under

contract to businesses providing essential services can continue to provide

those services.

Recreational rental vehicle hire is not permitted.

The key rental service personnel needed to maintain the leasing, collection,

relocation and cleaning of rental vehicles used in essential service provision

(e.g. to get to self isolation).

Car-share

Any car share operator that provides car share services under contract to

businesses providing essential services – for example District Health Boards or

Regional and Local Councils - can continue to provide that car share service.

They must provide appropriate cleaning of vehicles.

Where long-term membership exists, customers may continue to utilise the

vehicle where they are the only person or people from the same isolation

group using that vehicle.

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It is not acceptable for car share vehicles to be provided under any other

circumstances e.g. on a per hour basis.

Delivery of freight by land

Workers and operators involved in the delivery of essential goods (as defined

in essential services list on the COVID-19 website) by road and rail freight e.g.

 Road and Rail Freight Operators and Receivers

 Drivers, including: large trucks and trains, grocery distribution (eg

supermarkets and My Food Bag)

 Logistics firms and their contractors

 Courier services and postal operators.

Maintenance services – all modes

Workers involved in the provision of essential maintenance and safety services

where the services are limited to:

 maintaining other essential services and their vehicles (e.g. repairing

emergency vehicles, aircraft and ships/boats, and parts replacement for

these craft moving essential freight); or

 essential recovery and/or repair of private vehicles, where needed to

keep a private vehicle operating for essential purposes e.g. to get

groceries and healthcare.

Ideally, these services would be provided on demand. The types of capability

deemed essential are:

 Maintenance and engineering staff

 Vehicle recovery and assistance services

 Vehicle repairers, inspectors, certifiers, mechanics and vehicle part

providers.

Warrant of Fitness (WoF) and Certification of Fitness (CoF)

Specific information on WoF and CoF for vehicles will be included shortly.

Maintaining the transport network

Contractors and subcontractors related to the agencies identified below, that

are necessary to address immediate and short-term risks to safety on the

transport network e.g.

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 Traffic controllers

 Emergency works staff

 Cleaning staff critical for safe operations

Any works, including capital works that are not required for the safe and

efficient operation of the transport network must be stood down until the end

of the Level 4 Alert period.

Key transport agency staff

Essential transport staff from the following agencies:

 Ministry of Transport

 New Zealand Transport Agency

 Civil Aviation Authority (including Aviation Security Service)

 Maritime New Zealand (including the Rescue Coordination Centre and

Maritime Radio)

 Airways NZ

 MetService

 KiwiRail, including Interislander

 Local and regional authorities

This only applies for staff members of these agencies, which need to be

exempt from Alert Level 4 movement controls, in order to: support the

response to COVID-19, support the response to any other emergency,

perform national security functions, perform a required statutory or

regulatory function, or perform any other critical function (identified by

their Chief Executive).

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