The park and ride shuttle service for patients and visitors to Christchurch Hospital from Lichfield Street Carpark will stop operating from 8.30pm tomorrow, Wednesday 25 March.

The temporary shutdown of this service is in response to the government’s nationwide Alert Level 4, which will be in force for a minimum of four weeks from 11.59pm on Wednesday.

DHB Incident Controller Dan Coward says, “Every action we take to help fight COVID-19 is critical. Stopping the movement of people is a key part of keeping our community safe.”

At Alert Level 4 people are instructed to stay home and no-one should be coming to visit at hospital unless the circumstances are exceptional. The DHB is allowing one support person only to accompany people presenting to the Emergency Department.

Canterbury DHB has also postponed all non-urgent surgery, procedures and non-urgent face-to-face outpatient appointments at all Canterbury DHB facilities, effective from today.

“These efforts to limit people coming onto our sites to help us slow the spread of COVID-19 are likely to mean that there is more parking closer to Christchurch Hospital than usual,” says Coward.

In addition, time restrictions and fees for Christchurch City Council parking spaces around Christchurch Hospital will not be enforced during the Alert Level 4 period, as of midnight Wednesday 25 March.

“We ask that people coming into Christchurch Hospital are mindful of making sure essential health workers and people that are less mobile can park as close as possible to hospital,” says Coward.

The following Council parking rules still apply:

• Do not park in mobility parking spaces unless a pass is held.
• Do not park on broken yellow lines or where no-parking signs are present.
• Do not park in or across accessways.
• No parking in loading zones or resident parking spaces.

Drop-off zones outside the main entrance to Christchurch Hospital and outside Outpatients on Oxford Tce continue to operate if you are able to have someone drop you off and collect you. Please remember there is no waiting in the drop-off zones.

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