Starting late on the 23rd, New Zealand has raised its new COVID -19 traffic light system to the highest alert level of "red" in order to curb the spread of the Omicron strain in the community.
The "red" level of restrictions is not as strict as a lockdown, but it does impose various restrictions on people's lives.
Community transmission spreading beyond Auckland
A family living in Nelson (northern South Island)
There have also been cases of Omicron infections outside Auckland, including in the city of Palmerston North (in the north of the North Island).
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has previously expressed a sense of crisis at press conferences, saying that "it is only a matter of time before community spread of the Omicron strain occurs," and her words have now come to fruition.
What is life like on the "red" traffic light system?
New Zealand previously had a system of alert levels ranging from 1 to 4, with the highest level being lockdown.
However, due to the spread of the Delta strain, the policy shifted from aiming for infection level 0 to coexistence with the virus. Accordingly, a new alert level system, the "traffic light system," was introduced.
As the name suggests, the traffic light system uses three levels of traffic lights: red, orange, and green, with red being the highest alert level.
The traffic light system is explained in the following news article:
- Wear a mask especially on airplanes, on public transport, in taxis, in retail stores and in public places.
- With My Vaccine Pass (a New Zealand vaccination certificate), you can attend cafes, bars, and events where people gather (with limited capacity). You can also use services such as beauty salons and gyms where social distancing cannot be maintained.
- If you do not have a My Vaccine Pass, you will not be able to visit beauty salons or gyms where social distancing cannot be maintained, attend events that gather in large numbers, or eat in at restaurants.
- Commuting to work or school is possible.
- Use the app to record the places you visit.
- Maintain social distancing.
- If you have cold-like symptoms, self-isolate immediately and get tested.
- You can travel and use accommodation within New Zealand.
Third vaccination
In New Zealand, more than 95% of those eligible for the vaccine have completed their second dose. The decision has been made to significantly shorten the third dose to four months after the second dose, and more than half of the eligible population has already completed the third dose.
Hopkins, who is also the Minister for Health and Minister for Coronavirus, said:
The period between the second and third vaccine doses has been shortened from six months to four months, meaning that more than 82% of people who have received two doses of the vaccine will be able to get their third dose by the end of February.
He commented.
"We have explained to the public that the third dose of the vaccine will significantly reduce the risk of developing severe symptoms," he said. Here, Prime Minister Ardern is receiving her third dose of the vaccine.
The Prime Minister also postponed his wedding
Prime Minister Ardern, who was planning to marry her partner Clarke Gayford this summer, also said at a press conference that the wedding would be postponed.The public is being affected by the pandemic in the same way, and so am I.
said Prime Minister Ardern.
When asked by a reporter how he felt
Such is life.
Prime Minister Ardern got engaged to her partner, Mr. Gayford, in April 2019. At the time of their engagement, she wore her engagement ring for more than four days, but no one noticed, which became a hot topic. The New York Times even reported the news with an article titled "Jacinda Ardern Engaged. New Zealand Slow to Notice."
Ardern received media coverage around the world for giving birth while in office in 2018 and for attending a UN conference with her child.
