Following the announcement of additional Covid restrictions, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has called off her wedding. Since the entire country would get subjected to the most stringent Covid restrictions, the PM herself took the first step to motivate the citizens.
A limit of 100 vaccinated persons is allowed at events, and masks must get worn in stores and public transportation. In New Zealand, there have been 15,104 cases of Covid, with 52 fatalities. On Sunday, Ms. Ardern told reporters that her wedding to television presenter Clarke Gayford gets postponed.
“I am no different from, dare I say, hundreds of other New Zealanders who have experienced far more catastrophic pandemic effects. The most heartbreaking of which being the inability to be with a loved one when they are dangerously sick,” she added.
“That will far, much outweigh any grief I feel,” she continued. New Zealand will reopen to travelers who are vaccinated. The new limits are at midnight on Sunday (11:00 GMT). It comes following the confirmation of a cluster of nine Omicron instances.
After returning home to the South Island, a family who attended a wedding in Auckland tested positive. The virus also infected a flight attendant. The amount of community transmission from the organization is likely to be high, according to officials.
Indoor hospitality venues and events will be limited to 100 persons who have to get vaccinated, or 25 if vaccination passes get not utilized. According to the New Zealand Herald, this includes gyms and weddings. Masks will be required to be worn in school by students in grades four and up.
Since the beginning of the epidemic, New Zealand has followed stringent Covid guidelines, which has allowed them to minimize deaths to a bare minimum. It was one of the first countries to restrict its borders and implement lockdowns to combat previous epidemics. Chris Hipkins, the nation’s minister for Covid-19 response said, “Waiting till the end of February will increase New Zealand’s overall protection to slow down Omicron surge.”
With the Delta form, Ms. Ardern has shifted her focus from comprehensive Covid eradication to increasing vaccination rates and treating the virus as endemic.
That’s it for now. Stay in touch with us for more updates!!
