Nationally, MOH announced 126 new community Covid-19 cases on Tuesday.
With the Omicron variant becoming the "dominant" strain, the ministry said it would no longer be publicly advising the case variant in its updates.
Hawke's Bay DHB's chief executive Keriana Brooking reminded people to support their friends, whānau and workmates, and be kind as it can be overwhelming sometimes.
"We are all in this together and we will get through together."
Brooking urged people to reach out to someone if they needed to talk, or text or call 1737 to talk to a counsellor for free, 24/7.
"Let's look after each other. He waka eke noa, whānau. Tihei mauri ora."
DHB medical officer of health Nick Jones said Hawke's Bay had a number of active Covid-19 clusters which were related to both, now confirmed, Omicron and Delta variants.
Jones said with both variants circulating in Hawke's Bay it was vitally important that people who had any signs of cold or flu-like illness got tested.
"Our public health team is working very hard as there are many people associated with these clusters and people need to continue to check for new locations of interest, which would be added as inquiries continued."
DHB's Covid-19 senior responsible officer Chris Mckenna said as the DHB reported a further three cases of Covid, now was the time for people to have a kōrero and work out how ready they were to deal with Covid.
"It's time to plan and prepare. If you haven't already, download the Covid-19 Readiness Checklist and work out with your whānau what you need to do and who you need to talk to so you are ready to support each other if needed."
McKenna said vaccination was the best protection against serious illness from Covid-19 infection.
According to MOH data 94 per cent of the region's population, aged 12 and over, is fully vaccinated.
For the group aged 5 to 11, 27 per cent of the eligible population has received one dose of the vaccine. The total eligible population is 17,749 and 4798 children have received one dose of the vaccine.
Council extends vaccine pass requirement
With increasing numbers of Covid cases in the community, Hastings District Council added to its list of facilities requiring people to have vaccine passes for entry under the red traffic light setting.
Council chief executive Nigel Bickle said the main consideration in coming to this decision was keeping the community and council staff safe.
"We conducted a thorough risk assessment before making this decision, balancing current government requirements and accessibility to our services with the health risks.
"We are obliged under the Health and Safety at Work Act to take whatever steps we practicably can to keep our customers, the public and our staff safe.
"Ministry of Health advice is very clear that being vaccinated is the strongest, most effective tool to protect against infection and negative health impacts from Covid."
He said the facilities and services had a wide variety of users, some of whom were more vulnerable – such as older people and children – and council needed to ensure these spaces are able to be accessed safely, both for the public and our staff."
Passes would be required at all council aquatic facilities (indoor and outdoor) - the Hastings and Havelock North i-Sites, council's civic administration building on Lyndon Rd and its Warren and Hastings St offices, the wastewater treatment plant, Animal Control Centre, Flaxmere and Camberley Community Centres, Civil Defence building on Lyndon Rd, the cemetery and crematorium offices (not including the chapel) and the Mahi for Youth caravan and pop-up centre in Hastings city.
This adds to the existing vaccine pass locations: The Hastings, Havelock North and Flaxmere libraries, FlaXrock Gym, Hastings Sports Centre, Hastings Art Gallery and Toitoi – Hawke's Bay Arts and Events Centre.
The requirement includes all council employees, contractors or suppliers who access these buildings or facilities, as well as the public.
Three facilities will remain open to customers without vaccine passes – the Henderson Rd recycling and transfer station, Ōmarunui landfill, and the Hastings chapel.
The rubbish and recycling sites are considered low risk as they are outdoors with good ventilation – and they also provide essential waste and recycling services for the district.
With regard to the chapel, Government guidelines for funerals and tangihanga allow whānau and family to decide whether or not they require vaccine passes, with numbers limited if passes are not used.
Bickle said that where possible, council would work with members of the public unable to comply with the policy to provide alternative means of accessing services.
"Our teams are looking at safe ways to still offer services to all members of our community – for example the libraries already offer online services and the gallery has already been offering free school holiday Art-to-Go packs and free outdoor public art walking tours once a month over summer."
In addition to requiring vaccine passes, all staff and visitors aged 12 years three months or older are required to wear a mask in council facilities.
Visitors are also asked to scan or sign in when visiting buildings and facilities.
Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst said councillors fully supported the decision.
"Being vaccinated is the best defence we have against both the spread of the virus and to avoid potentially overwhelming our health services.
"My thanks go to the community for their support of the requirement to have vaccine passes to date, and for getting themselves and their whānau vaccinated and boosted."
