NEW ZEALAND: New Zealand removed the final COVID-19 restrictions, allowing individuals to isolate for seven days and masks to be worn in hospitals and other healthcare facilities. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins stated that these restrictions expire at midnight.
New Zealand was earlier praised for successfully eradicating the virus through a nationwide lockdown and strict border controls. However, as the epidemic spread, the zero-tolerance policy became unworkable, leading to the end of the elimination plan.
Hipkins added that after considering the government’s approach to the virus over the course of more than three years, he now found it anti-climatic after having wished for the day when all limitations would be lifted during the worst of the pandemic.
He claimed that out of a population of 5 million, 3,250 New Zealanders died from COVID-19, a fifth of the mortality rate in the US.
Although there were undoubtedly rifts in our nation’s cohesiveness, Hipkins added that New Zealanders should be incredibly proud of what they had accomplished as a team. Without a doubt, staying at home, making sacrifices, and receiving vaccinations helped save lives, he said.
Health Minister Ayesha Verrall reported low coronavirus hospitalisations and case counts since June, but the South’s publicly funded healthcare system has been more even this winter. The virus caused less damage, with 16,000 more operations completed than last year, indicating a more balanced health system, the minister said.
Two months prior to a general election, the announcement was made.
The head of the opposition ACT Party, David Seymour, claimed that the government had been treating people like toddlers for far too long.
Seymour stated in a statement that they have taken their sweet time getting around to fixing it and have been happy to impose high costs with little benefit.
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