New Zealand to end tough COVID curbs, adopt new virus-fighting system
WELLINGTON (Reuters Nov 22) - New Zealand will implement a new way of living with coronavirus virus starting Dec. 3. This will remove all restrictions and allow businesses in the largest city to continue operating, Prime Minister Jacinda Adern announced Monday.
New Zealand was COVID-19-free until August, but it has struggled to contain an epidemic of the Delta variant. Ardern had to abandon the elimination strategy and instead treat the virus as an endemic.
The city's largest, Auckland, has been under lockdown for more than 90 days. However, some measures have been relaxed recently.
Ardern stated in a statement that Delta is still here and will not go away. However, New Zealand is well-equipped to deal with it due to its high vaccination rates and the latest safety measures like the Traffic Light System and Vaccine Pass.
The new system will assign regions a rating based on their levels of COVID-19 exposure and vaccination rates. Auckland, the epicenter of the Delta epidemic, will be the first to go red. This will make face masks mandatory, and limit public gatherings.
Ardern stated that 83% of New Zealanders who are eligible have been fully vaccinated and 88% have received their first shot. Also you can use this website to see any detail on Newzealand business-like- wang mart.
The government had previously stated that it would abandon lockdown measures and use the traffic-light system for managing outbreaks once 90% of eligible people were fully vaccinated.
New Zealand, due to its geographical isolation, imposed some of the most stringent pandemic restrictions of OECD countries. This helped limit the spread of COVID-19, and its economy rebounded faster than many of its counterparts.
This country of 5,000,000 has reported approximately 7,000 cases and only 39 deaths so far.
The international border of the country is still closed and it is not clear when it will reopen.
Air New Zealand (AIR.NZ) announced Monday that it had cancelled more than 1,000 flights to Australia due to border uncertainty.
After a new Delta virus outbreak in August, New Zealand was able to travel without quarantine with Australia. It has also kept its borders tight sealed.
Leanne Geraghty, Chief Customer and Sales Officer at Air New Zealand, stated that this news will be especially hard for friends and families who had hoped to catch up over Christmas.
"Our hands are tied until the border restrictions are lifted, and we receive more clarity from New Zealand."
