New Zealand’s PM has canceled her own wedding amidst the pandemic. This came in after she announced new curbs owing to the surge in Coronavirus infections. The entire supposedly will be put under strict surveillance in the days to come. The Omicron outbreak is pushing all healthcare facilities against the wall and seems to be overwhelming everyone, including the PM.
New Zealand PM Cancels Wedding Amidst Raging Pandemic
The new restrictions state that there will be a cap of 100 guests at all events and functions. Moreover, mask-wearing is a mandate that everybody has to follow. New Zealand has by now recorded at least 15,000 Covid cases and above 50 deaths. Jacinda Arden has told reporters that she will not be going ahead with the wedding as planned.
The PM is very much concerned about the country’s condition right now. And, if she goes ahead with the big event, it could lead to a wrong example for the others. So, she wants to, in a way, discourage all to stay away from private and public functions, that are not necessary. Weddings and birthdays can wait, according to the PM.
The new restrictions come in from Sunday. After nine Omicron cases were confirmed, the PM has taken this decision. A family recently attended a wedding in Auckland and has been infected. Many flight attendants are also contracting the virus. The community-level transmission is expected to be very high and this seems to deter the government from releasing things.
Indoor hospitality and banquet halls also face the curb. The capacity has been dropped to below 100. If vaccinated individuals are not present, it is 25. This also includes gyms and other wedding venues. Students who are 4 years and above will also need to wear masks. That is one of the latest mandates.
New Zealand has been operating under strict surveillance, from the very start of the pandemic. It has initially managed to keep the death count extremely low. In fact, if you go back to the past reports, it was amongst the first countries to close its borders, when the virus just started expanding through physical boundaries.
But the Delta emergence had led the Jacinda Arden-led government to stress vaccination rates other than anything else. The country started treating the Coronavirus as an endemic. And it is believed that at present over 94% of the country’s population is above age 12 years. Moreover, at least 56% of the people are boosted.
Amidst all this news, New Zealand has plans to reopen the borders to foreigners. From 30 April New Zealand plans to reopen to vaccinated individuals. The visitors will have to isolate for seven days. The move will also restrict many curbs on the movement of individuals.
This is supposed to be the safest way to open all the borders, as the country cannot be kept in lockdown for the long term. In the first phase of re-opening, New Zealand plans to allow all New Zealanders who are currently in Australia to return home. Other New Zealand citizens who are in other countries will also be allowed to return from Feb 13 onwards. Currently, the citizens are allowed to enter from Australia and have to undergo the isolation phase.
However, according to the New Zealand administration, all the entrants have to be fully vaccinated. Foreign travelers will be amongst the last groups to be allowed inside the country.
This will reduce any vagaries related to the current healthcare system in the country. New Zealanders are rejoicing at the current news as they will be meeting their friends and family for a long time. So, it is good for people, looking forward to traveling to such countries for work and leisure.
