The New Zealand Government is now extending its COVID-19 vaccine mandate to police and the defence force, requiring them to have their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine until January 17.
Police Commissioner Andrew Coster welcomed the new mandate, which covers sworn members, recruits and authorised officers.
“In today’s environment, the community has an expectation that our staff are protected from the virus and are fully vaccinated,” he said.
As of the moment, 92 per cent of police staff are partially vaccinated and over 86 per cent have received two doses.
Instead of firing or re-assigning vaccine-hesitant officers, Commissioner Coster said he would encourage them to get the vaccine.
“It is not my desire to lose anyone from the organisation as a result of this new mandate,” he said.
As for Defence, the vaccination mandate will not only be for armed forces but will also include civilian staff and contractors.
Due to working within the quarantine regime, many under Defense have already been vaccinated. Uniformed personnel are currently 98.4 per cent fully vaccinated. 75 per cent of civilian staff are fully vaccinated as well.
“Our defence forces can be deployed at any time to locations where they may come into contact with COVID-19,” Defence Minister Peeni Henare said.
“For example, the recent mission to Afghanistan saw our defence force personnel assisting in the evacuation of New Zealand visa holders, some of whom had COVID.”
New Zealand’s vaccine mandate now covers a significant chunk of the country’s workforce, including healthcare and disability workers, those in the education sector and prison officers.
Aside from this, Kiwis are required to be vaccinated by next week in order to attend hospitality venues, public facilities and gyms.
As of Friday, health officials recorded another 173 community cases, with 154 cases in Auckland. 78 Kiwis with COVID-19 are in hospital, including seven in intensive care.
With AAP