Health and the long weekend

27 May 2020, 14:01

If you are not well stay home, is the message heading into this long weekend. 

This Monday, June 1, is Queen’s Birthday. While New Zealanders are being urged to support the tourism industry by trying something different and everyone is able to move freely between regions, that does not apply if people are unwell, says Hawke’s Bay District Health Board’s Medical Officer of Health Nick Jones. “We are still in COVID-19 Level 2 and the message is stay home if you have any new symptoms of a cold or flu and arrange to be tested for COVID. We still need everyone with symptoms to get tested.” 

Physical distancing also remains critically important. “We need to keep a two-metre distance from those we don’t know when out and about,” Dr Jones said. 

Finding health help over Queen’s Birthday weekend 

In a life-threatening emergency always call 111 or go to Hawke’s Bay Hospital’s emergency department. 

Those needing urgent but non-emergency health care in Hawke’s Bay over the weekend or to arrange for COVID testing have several options: 

• Call your normal practice for information on their after-hours arrangements
• Call urgent care facilities:
  • City Medical in Napier; open 24/7: 06 835 4999
  • Hastings Health Centre Urgent Care; open 8am to 8pm daily including weekends and public holidays: 06 873 8999
  • The Doctors Hastings Urgent Care open 8am to 4pm at weekends and on public holidays: 06 876 8445
• Call Healthline: 0800 611 116 (for COVID inquiries: 0800 358 5453)

Emergency Q 

The Emergency Q app can be used to find health care. Urgent care facilities in Napier and Hastings are listed on the app, with real-time waiting times at those facilities and at Hawke’s Bay’ Hospital’s emergency department shown. The app also tells users the cost at the community facilities, with the prices adjusted if the required care is accident-related (ACC), or if the patient has a Community Services card. It can be downloaded from both Android and Apple app stores.