It can be challenging to comprehend the logic or reasoning behind New Zealand’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. From strict lockdowns to the imposition of fines to people who transport fried chicken in violation of the city of Auckland’s policy against takeaways, New Zealand is set to impose even tougher restrictions to counter the spread of Omicron.
Despite being milder than Delta or any previous variant of the coronavirus, New Zealand’s prime minister Jacinda Ardern isn’t taking any chances with the Omicron variant and has announced plans to reimpose mask rules and limit gatherings from midnight Sunday.
The move to reimpose mask mandates comes amid the discovery of nine cases of COVID-19 across the country’s North and South islands.
According to Ardern on Sunday, there had been a community transmission from Auckland, which is located on the North Island, to the Nelson area of the South Island.
“A family travelled by plane from the North Island to a wedding in the South Island attended by 100 people. The family and a flight attendant tested positive,” ABC News reported, noting that the family attended a wedding and other events while in Auckland, suggesting they came into contact with over a hundred people at the events.
Ardern stated that to slow the spread of the Omicron variant, the country would move to a “red light setting” under its COVID-19 response system. Under the “red light setting,” schools and businesses can remain open but with tight restrictions.
The prime minister ruled out lockdowns in response to Omicron last week, but the raised restrictions will reimpose a mask mandate and social distancing and a cap on 100 customers in hospitality settings and events such as weddings and parties. In addition, these settings are limited to 25 people if the hosts do not impose vaccine passes.
Ardern told the press that the case numbers are low enough to continue using PCR tests rather than RATs for testing and tracing, but the government is looking into whether N95 and KN95 masks will become mandated. The government is also set to impose a mask mandate for school children.
According to ABC News, New Zealand is one of the only countries spared an outbreak of Omicron, but it’s one that Ardern says is “inevitable” due to the high transmissibility of the variant.
The country previous contained the spread of the Delta variant with an average of only 20 cases per day and continues to pursue a “COVID zero” approach, unlike other countries.
Around 93 percent of the nation’s citizens over the age of 12 are fully vaccinated, and 52 percent have had the booster shot. New Zealand has begun vaccinating children aged 5 to 11.
In announcing the new restrictions, Ardern announced that she, too, was making sacrifices by canceling her own wedding.
“I am no different to, dare I say it, thousands of other New Zealanders who have had much more devastating impacts felt by the pandemic, the most gutting of which is the inability to be with a loved one sometimes when they are gravely ill,” Ardern said. “That will far, far outstrip any sadness I experience.”
