Bay Venues Facilities to Require Vaccination Passes

Bay Venues has confirmed that all its facilities will require the use of vaccination passes from Friday, December 3, 2021 when the COVID-19 Protection Framework comes into place.

CEO Chad Hooker says the decision was made for the wellbeing of their staff, the wider community, and the local health system.

“Many of our facilities are complex, interconnected spaces and it’s inevitable that a range of people will mix with each other in common areas. The most practical way to manage the spread of COVID-19 across all these environments, and to ensure the wellbeing of our staff and customers, is to apply a consistent approach based on the lowest risk to all. This approach is also supported by risk assessments that were undertaken internally.”

Mr. Hooker says it’s important to highlight that under the COVID-19 Protection Framework public facilities can choose to operate with My Vaccine Pass requirements.

“It’s important for residents to know that we can choose these requirements and we have done so based on the current information available to us. The rules for COVID-19 continue to change rapidly and regularly. We are monitoring developments closely and will update our dedicated COVID-19 web page, www.bayvenues.co.nz/covid-19, and communicate directly with our customers if anything changes in future.”

Bay Venues entry requirements, as a Tauranga City Council organisation, are in-line with the City Council’s approach to their other public facilities (including the city’s four libraries).

Commission Chair Anne Tolley said the vaccination entry requirement has been made to protect our community by limiting opportunities for COVID-19 to spread. “In making this decision there were many factors to consider. We want to keep facilities open to everyone, but we also have a responsibility to keep our people safe and protect the public,” she said.  “Libraries and community facilities attract a significant number of people who are vulnerable to the COVID-19 virus and after consideration and a risk assessment, we believe this is the right approach to take.”

The vaccination requirement is also aligned with other large cities across New Zealand who are also requiring My Vaccine Passes for entry into their public facilities.