Re-opening the centre
What will happen on December 3
Auckland moves into the new Covid protection framework on December 3. What does this mean for the centre?
In brief
- Most classes and open events will remain online until 2022
- The centre will use vaccine passports from December 3, so please have yours available for us to check if you do drop by
- We plan to run some events as hybrid events in 2022 (you can attend at the centre or online), to ensure those who have made a personal choice not to be vaccinated can still participate
- The team at Sudarshanaloka Retreat Centre is planning a mix of retreats - some will require vaccine passports and some won't
Continue reading below if you want to understand more about these decisions.
In full
The Auckland Buddhist Centre Council has had to think carefully about how best to go forward under this new framework, which gives us the choice of whether to require vaccine passports or not. Using them means we can open at all traffic lights (with some limitations at a red light). Not using them keeps restrictions on all events at green and orange traffic lights, and means we must close at a red traffic light.
To enable us to open and plan with some confidence for 2022, we have chosen to use vaccine passports. Given the current public health information, we also feel this will best care for our staff, volunteers, friends and visitors, some of whom are more vulnerable in terms of their own health.
We acknowledge this means some people will not be able to attend the centre in person, and it was not a decision we made lightly or with political intent. With that in mind, and given our shared aspiration to make the Dharma accessible to all, we intend to hold some hybrid events (you can attend in person or online) and publicise regional online Dharma classes.
Study groups and teams that lead classes at the centre are deciding for themselves when they will return to the centre. Given it's coming up to Christmas, and there's a fair bit of uncertainty about what will happen once we move to this new framework, most are deciding to stay online until the new year.
The Sudarshanaloka Management Team has decided to offer a mix of retreats over the summer, with some requiring vaccine passports and some not. This is at the discretion of those leading the retreats. You can read more about their policy here.