On Monday, New Zealand repealed its mask-wearing regulations and vaccination requirements, ending some of the strictest Covid-19 pandemic regulations ever implemented.
In a weekly news conference, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern declared that it was time to safely end the nation’s Covid-19 management and stop using the extreme methods it had previously employed.
Finally, Ardern added, ‘we regain control rather than believing that Covid determines what happens to us, our lives, and our futures.’
‘For the first time in two years,’ she continued, ‘New Zealanders and industry can approach summer with the much-needed certainty, helping to fuel increased economic activity essential to our economic recovery.’
Except for in hospital and senior care facilities, there are no longer any mask wearing restrictions. Only people who test positive for Covid-19 will be forced to isolate for seven days; household contacts are no longer needed to do so, according to a statement from the government.
On September 26, all government vaccination requirements will also be eliminated, according to Ardern, who added that employers will now chose whether or not to impose vaccinations for their employees.
The government will also remove all vaccination requirements for incoming travellers and air crew.