COVID-19 UPDATES

Covid-19 Protection Framework – As at 12 September 2022

The Government released its new COVID-19 Strategy on 12 September which outlines protection requirements to help keep New Zealand safe with COVID-19 in the community. This Strategy replaces the old Covid Protection Framework (CPF) or Traffic Light System that was in place previously. 

There are no longer any restrictions for the Sport and Recreation Sector under the new COVID-19 Strategy. This means there are no longer any requirements aroundgathering or event numbers, mask wearing and vaccination certificates.

Post arrival testing has also been removed as a requirement for anyone flying into New Zealand (for example athletes and teams) however it is recommended they complete tests on day one and day five after arrival.

Household contacts no longer need to self-isolate for seven days, however it’s recommended that they test daily for a five day period.

You can view the new Strategy which includes information on masks and testing if you are a positive COVID-19 case here.

Covid-19 Protection Framework – As at 27 January 2022

In line with the Red setting, Waikato Badminton Association (WBA) continues to operate with a vaccine pass requirement. From 11.59pm Thursday 27 January 2022, what this means for:

In order to operate optimally at all levels of the New Zealand Government mandated Covid-19 Protection Framework from 11.59pm Thursday 2 December 2021, Waikato Badminton Association (WBA) is ready to operate with vaccine pass at every traffic light setting.

This means that all facility hire, training activities, sanctioned events and programs based at the Eastlink Badminton Stadium shall require users and visitors to have their official “My Vaccine Pass” verified by WBA Staff. This is in addition to checking-in with a QR code scan or manually sign-in at the computer kiosk, maintaining good hygiene and physical distancing, wearing face coverings where possible, staying home and getting tested if slightly unwell.

WBA will predominantly use Pay2Play to manage the proof of vaccine passes and their expiry date. When verifying a pass, no personal information from the pass is recorded or stored by WBA. To begin the transition process, all individual Pay2Play accounts shall be suspended (bookings and doorcodes inactive) until accounts are verified by WBA Staff.

To activate or re-activate a Pay2Play account, users can verify their pass in advance of accessing the facility by:
1) UPLOADING a copy of their vaccine pass to their Pay2Play account (users can delete their vaccine pass after the account has been verified and reactivated)
2) VISITING the WBA Office for assistance during staffed hours (please call ahead, otherwise generally between 11am-7pm Monday-Friday)

Pre-verification means minimal wait times at the stadium foyer where vaccine passes are checked, as it only needs to happen one time and then users may come and go freely without having to show your pass each visit. All other visitors who do not have a Pay2Play account may be asked to show their vaccine passes on every entry to the Eastlink Badminton Stadium.

All account holders, members and guests must also continue to abide by the WBA Court Booking & Stadium Users Policy and any additional conditions of use which are either communicated on our website and/or displayed at the stadium as they become available.

As always, thank you for your continued patience and support as we navigate our way through this pandemic and ongoing developments together. Below are some FAQs you may be interested in reading.

1. What is an official My Vaccine Pass and how do I get one?

My Vaccine Pass is an official record of your COVID-19 vaccination status for use in Aotearoa New Zealand. Read more here https://covid19.govt.nz/covid-19-vaccines/covid-19-vaccination-certificates/my-vaccine-pass/

2. How do I check / create an account on Pay2Play and upload My Vaccine Pass?

To avoid queues, we encourage all members, stadium users and visitors who frequent the Eastlink Badminton Stadium ensure they have a Pay2Play account. Read more here https://bit.ly/WBACourtBookingTip. WBA will verify vaccine passes loaded to Pay2Play at least once every 24 hours.

3. What do I need to do as a Club/Group organiser? How do we get proof of vaccination from participants?

Club/Group organisers must sight a member/non-member’s My Vaccine Pass, and it is strongly recommended it is verified with a free NZ Pass Verifier app provided by the Ministry of Health. For casual or new participants, you may also request a form of ID such as a drivers licence. A Club/Group organiser can record that the member/non-member has provided proof of their vaccine pass and the expiry date. If this is provided electronically via email, the club cannot store the vaccine pass and must delete the email containing the vaccine pass.

4. What if my Club/Group currently plays badminton at a venue different to Eastlink Badminton Stadium?

Your Club/Group will have to adhere to the guidance and policies relevant to that venue.

5. How do we check proof of vaccination from non-members when running tournaments?

A valid My Vaccine pass will need to be verified for all tournament entries. Those who do not have a Pay2Play account, will be required to provide proof of their vaccine pass and the expiry date during every tournament registration. This process may continue to be developed over time.

6. Can a negative test be used instead of a vaccine pass?

No, every Stadium user and/or participant must produce their official My Vaccine Pass.

7. What if a person has a medical exemption?

People with approved medical exemptions are also provided access to a pass and must therefore produce their official My Vaccine Pass.

8. Are children under 12 permitted to take part as a user or participant at Eastlink Badminton Stadium?

Yes, as children under 12 are not yet eligible to receive the vaccine, therefore they are exempt from producing a My Vaccine Pass. Parents or legal guardians may be asked for evidence of their children’s date of birth.

9. How many times do a vaccine pass need to be verified?

We anticipate that Pay2Play account holders will only need to have their vaccine passes verified by WBA staff once within the validity period of their pass.

Covid-19 (Delta) Alert Level 2 – As at 17 November 2021

With the Hamilton area moving into Alert Level 2 from 11.59pm yesterday, the Eastlink Badminton Stadium will re-open today. Pay2Play is now taking bookings for up to 7 days in advance. In the meantime, we remind everyone to check-in with a QR code scan or manually sign-in at the computer kiosk, maintain good hygiene, physical distancing, wear face coverings where possible, stay home and get tested if slightly unwell. This will ensure we play it safe. We are also aware that this is a temporary decision until our region moves into the Covid-19 Protection Framework which will bring vaccination status into consideration. More guidance and announcements on how we plan to apply that framework will be communicated in due course.

Covid-19 (Delta) Alert Level 3 – As at 4 October 2021

With the Hamilton area moving into Alert Level 3, please note that the Eastlink Badminton Stadium is closed for hire. All bookings in the next week shall be offered court hire vouchers where relevant for rebooking at a later period.

Please monitor for Covid-19 symptoms, get tested if necessary, and we encourage all members to get vaccinated. The higher our vaccination rates, the less we will need to rely on major Alert Level changes in future.

Waikato Badminton at Alert Level 2 – As at 12 August 2020

As per the latest New Zealand Alert Levels and government advice, Waikato Badminton is putting additional safety precautions back in place to ensure the community is safe. At Alert Level 2, the following temporary guidelines are in place at Eastlink Badminton Stadium for at least 3 days (to 14 August) until we receive further government updates regarding the COVID-19 situation in New Zealand.

❗️ Stadium users must maintain physical distancing (not mingle with other playing groups) and must depart the facility promptly when their bookings come to a completion.

❗️ Stadium users must wash their hands thoroughly before and after play, and avoid touching their faces or common surfaces.

❗️ Stadium users must ensure all bookings include full contact tracing details of their playing group to avoid any disappointment upon facility entry and/or suspension of their account. Tips to follow the guidelines: https://bit.ly/WBACourtBookingTip

❗️ Stadium users should download the COVID-19 Tracer app, scan the code on entry to keep a diary of their movements.

The following events are suspended until further notice:

• Shuttle Time King Country Secondary School Championships (14 Aug)
• North Island Senior Inter-Association Competition (15 Aug)
• North Island Super-Vets Inter-Association Competition (15 Aug)

Waikato Badminton will review all other activities, programs, and events on a case-by-case basis to determine if they can continue under the relevant Alert Level restrictions. Please note that information can change quickly but we endeavour to be in touch as soon as we know more and will communicate the latest information through our email database, our website and social media platforms. Please be patient and be kind to one another whilst this is in process, and do not hesitate to contact any Waikato Badminton staff if you have questions, concerns or need help in any way.

PLAY IT SAFE. STAY HOME IF SICK. THANK YOU.

Waikato Badminton at Alert Level 1 – As at 09 June 2020

Waikato Badminton is very excited to announce that following the latest Government announcement moving the country to Alert Level 1, all our operations can return to normal as of 9 June 2020 with no physical distancing and no gathering limit requirements.
 
24/7 access to Eastlink Badminton Stadium will resume for all annually paid stadium accounts which are allocated a doorcode. Waikato Badminton will replace the current CHECK-IN code with the Ministry of Health’s COVID Tracer Code to allow everyone to keep a personal diary. 

Although we are able to get back to normality, we will still be practising high standards of hygiene at all times and ask all badminton players and visitors to continue to do the following:

• Ensure individual Pay2Play bookings contain registered names of all players for each booking;
• Bring and use your own equipment, towel, water bottle;
• Wash or sanitise your hands regularly;
• Clean the courts at the end of each booking;
• Be kind to everyone.

Enjoy your badminton!

Clubs, Training, Programs, Events to resume at Eastlink Stadium from 02 June – As at 28 May 2020

Following the announcement from the New Government on increasing the size of gatherings to up to 100, WBA will make 10 courts available for booking again from next week. All other updated booking parameters are available here: https://mailchi.mp/eab6159c7660/waikato-badminton-news-may202

Eastlink Stadium Courts to re-open Monday 18 May – As at 15 May 2020

Read all the news and booking parameters here: https://mailchi.mp/5e4678d77ed7/waikato-badminton-courts-reopen18may

Please note the link to the Booking Tips has been updated.

BACK2BADMINTON at Alert Level 2 – As at 13 May 2020

With guidance from Sport New Zealand and Badminton New Zealand, we are currently preparing the Eastlink Badminton Stadium to ensure it is safe to open. As we continue to get clarity on the COVID-19 requirements around gatherings of 10 for sport at Alert Level 2, we will communicate with you the details of how you’ll be able to get back to play the game of badminton that both you and us love with a target stadium reopening date of Monday 18 May 2020.

In the meantime, due to physical distancing requirements and gathering limitations, Waikato Badminton sanctioned events, programs and training continue to be suspended until 1 June, with a review on 25 May. Keep an eye on email communication from staff, along with our website and social media platforms to ensure you don’t miss out on key deals, dates and information.

Here are some additional measures we are taking to ensure the continued safety of players, visitors, and staff at the Eastlink Badminton Stadium. This includes:

• Bright–coloured tape marking physical distancing requirements at the stadium foyer and general seating areas.
• Hand sanitiser made available at the stadium foyer and computer kiosk, essential for all to use before and after signing into the stadium. 
• Regular cleaning of common contact surfaces will take place within the stadium. We also ask that users keep the court surfaces clean as per the Court Bookings & Stadium Users Policy.
• Equipment hire is suspended for the general public. Water fountain use is also discouraged so bring your own filled water bottle, towel, rackets and shuttles. New entry-level rackets can be purchased for $25 per racket fromthe Waikato Badminton office.
• Reduced court capacity and time as a limited number of courts will be available for bookings during specified staff hours for an initial two-week period, and only for Individual stadium account holders (no Club Accounts) will be able to make bookings. More details about the booking parameters and process will be announced separately to this update.
• Contact tracing options will be enabled at the venue so be prepared to scan a QR code or sign in manually upon entry.
• Only participants with existing bookings can enter the stadium at the time of their booking. A staggered entry and exit process will be managed by WBA Staff. We recommend that players wait in their vehicles and not to congregate around the outside of the stadium in order to maintain appropriate (2m) physical distancing.
• Contactless payments mean that cash will not be accepted but EFTPOS, bank transfers, and credit card payments via Pay2Play can be accepted. 
• COVID-19 Work Safe Plan developed and familiarised by Waikato Badminton staff.

Many of these measures will be continuously monitored and reviewed. In preparation to return to badminton, we encourage everyone to familiarise themselves with Waikato Badminton’s safety considerations below, along with information and resources available on the Badminton New Zealand website. We understand this is vastly different from what our clubs, schools, communities, parents, players, officials and volunteers are used to but we ask everyone to be kind, and work together to adjust to this new reality.

PLAY IT SAFE at Alert Level 2 – As at 11 May 2020

Please remember that at Alert Levels 3 and 4, badminton facilities, programs and events are closed or suspended. All organisations and individuals should follow the advice and regulations provided by the New Zealand government and Ministry of Health. The information on this page is a guide only for a variety of stakeholders within badminton, and has also been created based on guidance from Sport New Zealand and Badminton New Zealand, where badminton activity is allowed under additional precautions. 

It is important to remember that badminton facilities, staff, clubs, coaches and players across the region are all different and operate in different local contexts. Making an assessment of whether a safe exercise environment can be provided also depends on a range of factors, which will apply differently at each venue – it is the responsibility of each person to make that assessment based on their local environment.

DOWNLOAD Safety Considerations – Have you thought about these?