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From Covid Quarantine Camps to 'Meh': New Zealand Scraps Nearly All COVID-19 Restrictions, Including Mask And Vaccination Mandates
Epoch Times ^ | 09/12/2022 | Rebecca Zhu

Posted on 09/12/2022 10:01:47 PM PDT by SeekAndFind

New Zealand will be retiring its COVID-19 traffic light system and significantly scaling down COVID restrictions from Sept. 13 so Kiwis could “move forward with certainty,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced.

It’s time to safely turn the page on our COVID-19 management and live without the extraordinary measures we have previously used,”

New Zealand will be retiring its COVID-19 traffic light system and significantly scaling down COVID restrictions from Sept. 13 so Kiwis could “move forward with certainty,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced.

It’s time to safely turn the page on our COVID-19 management and live without the extraordinary measures we have previously used,” Ardern said, calling it a “milestone.”

With the abolition of the traffic light COVID protection framework, mask mandates will be lifted in all areas except in healthcare and aged care settings.

Household contacts will no longer need to isolate, while people tested positive to COVID-19 will continue to be required to isolate for seven days.

All government vaccine mandates will end on Sept. 26, and all vaccination requirements for incoming travellers and aircrew will also be removed.

After restrictions are lifted, it will be up to the employer’s discretion whether they will require workers to wear masks or get vaccinated for COVID-19.

In short, we now move on to a simple two requirements system of masks in healthcare settings and seven days isolation for positive cases only,” Ardern said.

The COVID-19 protection framework, or traffic light system, set out the rules for different traffic light settings, where red was the highest alert setting, and green meant no restrictions. At the time of removal, New Zealand was at orange.

The government also confirmed that COVID leave payments will continue.

COVID-19 Minister Ayesha Verrall also announced the purchase of an additional 40,000 anti-viral medicine courses, expected to arrive in New Zealand within days.

“So now, anyone over the age of 65, and Maori and Pacific people over the age of 50, or anyone who meets Pharmac requirements, can access the treatment in the early stages of contracting the virus.

This means more than double the number of New Zealanders will be able to access these medicines if they need them than previously,” Verrall said.

Decision Welcomed Across the Board

Retail NZ welcomed the move to return New Zealand to a “sense of normality.”

“After over two years of being at the forefront of COVID-19 rules, alert level changes, low foot traffic, and nonsensical mask rules, retailers across New Zealand will be pleased with today’s revised approach,” Retail NZ Chief Executive Greg Harford said.

“The revision today largely brings New Zealand in line with most of the rest of the world.”

But Harford encouraged the government to further revise the isolation period down to between three to five days.

ACT party agreed with the idea, with ACT Leader David Seymour noting that New Zealand had among the strictest isolation rules in the world.

Keeping people locked in their houses longer than is necessary imposes real costs to them and the economy without improving our COVID-19 response,” he said.

“New Zealand is holding on to a long COVID hangover. It turns out an ‘abundance of caution’ is an abundance of cost for New Zealanders.”


TOPICS: Health/Medicine; Science; Society
KEYWORDS: australia; covid19; covidcamps; evilclownjacinda; jacindatheclown; masks; newzealand; restrictions; theclownjacinda; tyranny; vaccination

1 posted on 09/12/2022 10:01:47 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

But they had to make sure Trump was really, truly gone before daring to let anyone out. :)


2 posted on 09/12/2022 10:05:55 PM PDT by Mr. Jeeves ([CTRL]-[GALT]-[DELETE])
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To: SeekAndFind

New Zealand’s “Emily Litella” Prime Minister says NEVER MIND.


3 posted on 09/12/2022 10:13:18 PM PDT by House Atreides (I’m now ULTRA-MAGA-PRO-MAX!)
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To: SeekAndFind
This song seems like fitting mockery.

Screaming Jay Hawkins -- Constipation Blues

4 posted on 09/12/2022 10:24:03 PM PDT by grey_whiskers (The opinions are solely those of the author and are subject to change without notice.)
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To: SeekAndFind

“ “Keeping people locked in their houses longer than is necessary imposes real costs to them and the economy without improving our COVID-19 response”

Such a flippant response. No empathy or remorse. For the time wasted, nor the lives impacted negatively.


5 posted on 09/12/2022 10:28:51 PM PDT by grame (May you know more of the love of God Almighty this day!)
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To: SeekAndFind
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is every bit as stark raving nuts as Gretchen Whitmar is. Totally deranged and needs to be locked up.
6 posted on 09/12/2022 10:38:31 PM PDT by SmokingJoe ( )
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To: Mr. Jeeves

because these pukes already did their objective in murdering people by making them suffer and showing whose boss in the coming rESET OF 2030.


7 posted on 09/12/2022 10:55:18 PM PDT by max americana (Fired leftards at work since 2008 at every election just to see them cry. I hate them all.)
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To: SeekAndFind
During the response to COVID both NEW Zealand and Australia refused to let their citizens enter the country for some of that time. These are not nations that any reasonable person can call their home country.


8 posted on 09/12/2022 11:22:49 PM PDT by magooey (The Mandate of Heaven resides in the hearts of men.)
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To: SeekAndFind

F off you authoritarian (murderous) assholes. I hope there’s some “karma-like” justice that finds all of you in this life, so that the good people of this world, that have suffered under your thumb, can all enjoy the show. 🖕😐


9 posted on 09/12/2022 11:34:55 PM PDT by catbertz
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To: SeekAndFind

You mean the Kiwi’s get to have a tiny, teensy-weensy, itty-bit of their freedom back now, New Zealand?

Gee thanks.


10 posted on 09/13/2022 12:53:30 AM PDT by Bullish (Rot'sa Ruck America. )
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To: House Atreides

And once again, all government over reach is predicated on a lie.


11 posted on 09/13/2022 3:26:02 AM PDT by joma89 (Buy weapons and ammo, folks, and have the will to use them.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Pandemic cancelled. Seems to be a thing.


12 posted on 09/13/2022 3:52:16 AM PDT by ChessExpert (Neither a Democracy nor a Republic. "I did that," Joe Biden.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Heck, I remember when a mother was placed in handcuffs for doing nothing more than taking her children to a park, right here in the US because of “covid restrictions”.


13 posted on 09/13/2022 3:55:18 AM PDT by corlorde
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To: SeekAndFind

I bet with all the earthquakes that have been happening out in that part of the world that the restrictions had to be lifted in order to start receiving aid once the big one hits out there. They’ve been experiencing 7.0+ size quakes as of late.


14 posted on 09/13/2022 4:04:53 AM PDT by ducttape45 (Proverbs 14:34, "Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.")
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To: SeekAndFind

Hmm. Election a year away. Polling showing her Labor party behind and will likely lose the next election. Ardern’s personal approval at the lowest since 2017. COVID restrictions? Who needs COVID restrictions?


15 posted on 09/13/2022 4:05:37 AM PDT by Baldwin
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To: SeekAndFind

But still backing the PCR and mask narratives.


16 posted on 09/13/2022 4:14:05 AM PDT by 9YearLurker
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To: SeekAndFind

None of the abuses were necessary or beneficial. None of it. These people need to hang.


17 posted on 09/13/2022 5:01:40 AM PDT by WMarshal (Neocons and leftards are the same species of vicious rat.)
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To: WMarshal
None of the abuses were necessary or beneficial. None of it. These people need to hang.

You can include those in this country as well.

18 posted on 09/13/2022 5:25:38 AM PDT by unixfox (Abolish Slavery, Repeal the 16th Amendment)
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To: SeekAndFind

This was always the plan.

Push people to the brink of rebellion then ease off somewhat, then when they have relaxed and forgotten put the screws to them again harder than before.


19 posted on 09/13/2022 5:52:02 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum ( We need to “build back better” on the bones and ashes of those forcing us to “Build Back Better.")
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To: SeekAndFind

And the criminal government that put its people through that needless hell will never be brought to answer for it.


20 posted on 09/13/2022 9:04:42 AM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion, or satire, or both.)
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