COVID-19 at Orange: access to public libraries update

With more COVID-19 cases announced in our community this week, Nelson City Council will be changing its policy regarding access to public libraries. These changes are necessary to protect the health of staff and visitors to the library.

The guidelines for all other Council facilities, issued earlier this week, remain the same. Click here to read those guidelines.

However, from Monday 6 December, visitors to Nelson’s local libraries will now require a vaccine pass for entry at all times. Previously, libraries did not require a vaccine pass to use core services that did not involve close contact with staff.

Incident Management Team Leader Alec Louverdis said Council wanted to achieve a balance of keeping its facilities open to as many people as possible, while still protecting the health of staff and the public.

“We are mindful of having a safe environment, both for staff and visitors, and we have received feedback from many library users that they feel unsafe in places where they may come into contact with people who have chosen not to have the vaccine." 

Many of the library’s services can be accessed remotely. Ebooks, audiobooks, online magazines and newspapers can all be found here.

Library members can also use Kanopy to access movies and documentaries.

Elma Turner Library and Stoke Library will offer a Click and Collect service to ensure everyone can access their collections.

And it is also possible to use the ‘Book a Librarian’ service for advice from a librarian over the phone or by email.

Library staff are working on introducing contactless services, such as click and collect, so unvaccinated members can still borrow physical items without entering the library.

“Council will continue to review the decisions around our facilities and changes may occur, especially if we change to Green or Red on the Traffic Light System”, said Alec.
 
What this means for you:
If you are visiting one of Nelson’s public libraries, from 6 December 2021 you'll be asked to:

• show you are fully vaccinated by allowing your My Vaccine Pass to be scanned by our reception staff or your host
• scan into our offices using the NZ Covid Tracer QR code

A reminder that all of our public facilities, whether a vaccine pass is required or not, require masks to be worn and at least 1m physical distancing. This limits the number of people we can have in each facility.