Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced the latest Covid-19 update based on the cabinet’s decision today.
Changes to the traffic light settings will come into effect at midnight, Friday 25 March. Numbers for outdoor gatherings will be removed and indoor gatherings will be increased to 200. Masks will no longer be required to be worn outside as well.
Once the country reaches the Orange setting, all restrictions besides mask wearing will also be removed.
Vaccine requirements, vaccine passes and scanning will end on April 4, as will vaccine mandates for health and disability, aged care, corrections and border workforces.
The Prime Minister says the changes are due to the country’s successful management of the Omicron outbreak and high vaccination rates, “New Zealanders have worked incredibly hard to get through this pandemic and as a result of those efforts we are now in a position to move forward and change the way we do things.”
“The evidence shows we are coming off the Omicron peak with cases in Auckland having already declined significantly, and a decline expected nationally by early April,” Ardern said.
Expert modellers say that while more than 500,000 cases of Covid-19 have been reported in this outbreak, there have probably been 1.7 million actual infections.
“That figure, coupled with 95 percent of New Zealanders being fully vaccinated, means we now have a high level of collective immunity,” the Prime Minister adds.
“With our cases coming down it’s time to take our next steps with confidence in the collective immunity and protections we have built up. These new settings support greater economic activity and get everyone closer to feeling a bit more normal, while also continuing to manage COVID-19 and provide protection and care for those who need it most.”
Read about all the Covid-19 traffic light changes here.
