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 The Pacific nation was among just a handful of countries to bring
COVID-19 cases down to zero last year and largely stayed virus-free
until an outbreak of the highly infectious Delta variant in
mid-August frustrated efforts to stamp out transmission.
"With this outbreak and Delta the return to zero is incredibly
difficult," Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told a news conference in
a major policy shift.
"This is a change in approach we were always going to make over
time. Our Delta outbreak has accelerated this transition. Vaccines
will support it," she said.
Ardern said a lockdown affecting 1.7 million people in the biggest
city Auckland will be scaled back in phases, with some freedoms
introduced from Wednesday.
The change of direction came as the country recorded 29 new COVID-19
cases on Monday, taking the total number in the current outbreak to
1,357. Most cases are in Auckland, which has been in lockdown for
nearly 50 days.
Amid mounting pressure, Ardern has said her strategy was never to
have zero cases, but to aggressively stamp out the virus. She said
strict lockdowns will end once 90% of the eligible population is
vaccinated.
About two million New Zealanders have so far been fully vaccinated,
or about 48% of the eligible population.
Ardern said the Delta variant felt like "a tentacle that has been
incredibly hard to shake".
"It's clear that a long period of heavy restrictions has not got us
to zero cases. But its ok ... elimination was important because we
didn't have vaccinations. Now we do. So we can begin to change the
way we do things," she said.
People in Auckland will be able to leave their homes to connect with
loved ones outdoors from Wednesday, with a limit of 10 people, as
well as go to beaches and parks.
Worldwide deaths related to COVID-19 surpassed 5 million on Friday
https://www.reuters.com/world/global-covid-19-deaths-hit-5-million-delta-variant-sweeps-world-2021-10-02,
according to a Reuters tally, with unvaccinated people particularly
exposed to the virulent Delta strain.
[to top of second column] |
 CHEERS AND WARNINGS
Ardern used strict lockdowns and New Zealand's
geographic isolation to eliminate coronavirus
last year, a feat that helped her secure an
historic election victory https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-newzealand-election-idUKKBN2712ZI.
But a sluggish vaccine rollout and the
persistent Delta outbreak this year has dented
her popularity. Aucklanders
turned to social media after the announcement, with many cheering
the decision while others expressed concern.
"I think if we'd been at 1-2 unlinked cases a day and/or no
infections in community and no spread outside Auckland (and higher
vaccination) I'd be cheering right now," one Aucklander said on
Twitter.
University of Auckland professor Shaun Hendy, who has been modelling
the spread of COVID-19, said the new freedoms were likely to lead to
greater spread and higher case numbers in coming weeks.
"The government will be hoping that any growth in cases that result
is slow enough that vaccination can get ahead of the outbreak,
before it puts significant strain on our testing and tracing system,
not to mention our hospitals," Hendy said.
Political parties on both sides slammed the move.
"Jacinda Ardern has no answers to problems that she and her
Government promised us were under control. The situation is now,
very clearly, out of control and worsening every day," Opposition
National Party leader Judith Collins said in a statement.
Ardern's Labour Party coalition partner, Greens, said the move put
vulnerable communities and children at risk.
(Reporting by Praveen Menon; Editing by Richard Pullin)
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