14th August, 2023
New Zealand’s government will remove all remaining COVID-19 regulations at midnight on Tuesday, effectively ending some of the world’s toughest COVID-19 pandemic rules more than three years after they were implemented.
Ayesha Verrall, Minister of Health, announced on Monday that beginning Tuesday.
Verrall said people will no longer be required to wear a face mask in health care facilities or isolate themselves for seven days after getting the illness.
“While our case numbers will continue to fluctuate, we have not seen the dramatic peaks that characterised COVID-19 rates last year. This, paired with the population’s immunity levels, means Cabinet and I are advised we’re positioned to safely remove the remaining COVID-19 requirements,” Verrall said.
Most of the limitations were lifted last year as vaccination rates increased and the country’s hospitals successfully survived a winter without being overburdened.
The decision to abolish the criteria comes just two months before a hotly contested election.
While the New Zealand government’s handling of the pandemic was praised globally for keeping infection and death rates low, it was chastised at home for the prolonged lockdowns, school closures, and closed borders.
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said the formal end of restrictions was a “significant milestone.”
“I believe that New Zealanders can be enormously proud of what we achieved together. We stayed home, we made sacrifices, we got vaccinated, and there is absolutely no question that we saved lives,” he told his weekly press conference.
While no longer mandatory, the Minister of Health still recommends that people stay home for five days if they’re unwell or have tested positive.
Reuters/NAN