New Zealand, Europe Brief News – Jacinda Ardern has declared it “time to safely turn the page” on New Zealand’s Covid-19 restrictions, scrapping all but a handful of remaining rules.
New Zealand, which once eliminated the virus through the toughest pandemic rules in the world, has made relaxations similar to Australian or European conditions.
Mask-wearing will no longer be mandatory in public places, and the last vaccine mandates will be ditched in two weeks under sweeping changes announced by the prime minister on Monday.
However, the government is sticking by a seven-day isolation period for people with virus, defying calls to shorten isolation to five days.
New Zealand suffered a major Omicron wave during winter that killed more Kiwis than any other outbreak of the pandemic.
The death toll is now 1950 people, growing from about 50 at the turn of the year, and 500 four months ago.
However, both case numbers and the government’s key metric – hospitalisations – have dropped sharply in recent weeks, giving the government confidence to move past onerous restrictions.
“Today marks a milestone in our response. Finally, rather than feeling that Covid dictates what happens to us, our lives, and our futures, we take back control,” Ardern said.
“The most recent health advice now tells us that with the lowest cases and hospitalisations since February, our population well vaccinated, and expanded access to anti-viral medicines, New Zealand is in a position to move forward.
“We move forward with confidence knowing that we’re not going to use those measures in the future.”
New Zealand held on to mask-wearing rules in many places – including retail, public transport and facilities and airports – through winter, when the “twindemic” of Covid-19 and influenza put severe strain on the health system.
