EOTC & School Camps Advice II

Schools and their staged re-opening is a constant topic of deliberation for our many members, particularly members who work collaboratively with schools as their education partners.

We are now staring down the other side of the Alert Level slope and if NZ has got it right and has eliminated the virus, domestic activity will be able to resume sooner rather than later.

Outdoor providers and schools will continue to monitor government Alert Level guidance and information.There is a solid foundation of crucial information and members are urged to keep those sites on your favourites and check daily.

Particular tables which are relevant and current as of today are:

What's next?

We may need to prepare for restrictions on-going and guidelines being reviewed and refined for: transport, overnight sleeping, equipment use, close contact activities.

In the meantime, considerations for managing safe operations at Level 2 relevant to Outdoors are:

Health Screening

Including statistics and data from the home DHB of your attending group
Including statistics and data from the home DHB of your attending group
Specific checks around Covid-19 symptoms
Identify specific health conditions that place participants and staff at a higher risk to Covid-19.

Hygiene & Cleaning

Awareness & training on how to keep personal hygiene
Note: More information due on facility and equipment hygiene in due course.

Contact Tracing

Structured Activities and Programmes have the foundations for contact tracing with robust registration process.
Consider details of your leaders / staff and the ability to contact trace their interactions.
Privacy commissioners information for contact tracing can be found here.
Sport NZ are working on sector wide solutions here, e.g. an app or template with consideration of privacy conflicts.

Ability to Isolate and Remove

At residential
When remote, isolated or mobile
Add to existing Incident and Emergency Response processes.

More info and guidance will be included when available.

Equipment use - Sport NZ, Ministry of Education (Note: gyms and exercise facilities can open at Level 2)
Facility use (dorms, dining etc) - Recreation Aotearoa and Advisory groups, reflecting government guidelines.
Close Contact Activities - Sport NZ, Recreation Aotearoa and Advisory groups, Good Practice Guidelines,

Templates and plans available here and here. Keep an eye on government advice for businesses here.

So far the MBIE website provides the following detail for Outdoors re: workplaces with no premises. For example outdoor tours or driver instruction.

In all cases, the applicable public health measures must be followed:

Alert Level 2	Alert Level 3
Outdoor adventure activities (e.g. guided walks, kayaking tours, quad bike adventures or scenic flights or boat trips) can operate.	Outdoor adventure activities (e.g. guided walks, kayaking tours, quad bike adventures or scenic flights or boat trips) should not operate.

Recreation Aotearoa members have been working on with their communities on an individual bases to support during Lockdown. They have demonstrated their openness to working with groups to deliver the educational outcomes through online offerings and re-visioning their booked programmes to be flexible for future Alert Levels. Alternate modes include smaller groups, delivery at schools or locations of their choice.

As we continue through Level 3 and beyond, our members will continue to support education with online resources, physical distancing activities in your local park, in-school leadership, adventure therapy, social and emotional development and so on.

The Outdoor Education Sector is a group with substantial history of successful risk management all while keeping focus on the health and wellbeing of clients.

The 'Why' of our work is all about building communities, growing young people, developing resilience, supporting healthy lives.

Our purpose and responsibility to support and reconnect communities is ever present.

School Camps and other Outdoor Activities / Education are an important part of the New Zealand School Curriculum and way of life and high value economic benefit to our nation.

We together can achieve healthy interactions with people, using physical distance and social connection.

Keep informed:

Covid 19 Website - https://covid19.govt.nz/

Ministry of Education - https://www.education.govt.nz/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov-3/

Ministry of Education - http://education.govt.nz/covid-19/alert-level-3-faqs-for-schools-and-early-learning-centres/#Alert-level3

Ministry 0f Health - https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-and-conditions/covid-19-novel-coronavirus

MBIE - https://www.mbie.govt.nz/about/open-government-and-official-information/coronavirus-covid-19/

MBIE - https://www.business.govt.nz/covid-19

Sport NZ - https://sportnz.org.nz/covid-19/

Recreation Aotearoa -/site/conference/covid-19/