Wellington: New Zealand, barsRestaurants and gyms reopened in Auckland on Friday as the last major parts of the more than 100-day-long lockdown ended.
New Zealand has launched a new phase in its coronavirus response that will not have a lockdown, but will require people to be fully vaccinated – and prove it with a vaccine pass – to access many services.
After the government decided that vaccination rates were high enough to switch to the new system, about 87% of people 12 years of age and older were fully vaccinated. In Auckland, which has been at the center of the country’s outbreak, the rate is more than 90%.
After New Zealand banned travel from nine southern African countries on Sunday, the threat posed by the new Omicron variant did not change plans for reopening. No cases of Omicron have been found in New Zealand and officials are confident that cases will be caught at the border by the quarantine system.
On Friday, there was a sense of excitement among patrons in Auckland, some of whom visited the bar when it was allowed to open at midnight.
Michael Barnett, Chief Executive Officer Auckland Business Chamber, said there was a sense of relief for many business owners, who will try to make the most of the next couple of weeks before Christmas.
He said many owners were trying to come up with new obligations to test vaccine passes.
“There were a lot of questions, more than anything else,” Barnett said. “‘How do I work? What do I do? What do I ask?’ It was a bed-down day for a lot of businesses.”
Some restrictions still remain. Auckland’s border with the rest of the country does not reopen until mid-December.
New one “Traffic Light“The system is designed to indicate that outbreaks are putting pressure on the health system. A green designation imposes certain restrictions, Orange need to wear and remove more masks, and Red Limits gathering size to 100 or fewer people.
Auckland and some other areas have started red light while the rest of the country has started with orange. The government expects Auckland to be moved to orange soon.
New Zealand has launched a new phase in its coronavirus response that will not have a lockdown, but will require people to be fully vaccinated – and prove it with a vaccine pass – to access many services.
After the government decided that vaccination rates were high enough to switch to the new system, about 87% of people 12 years of age and older were fully vaccinated. In Auckland, which has been at the center of the country’s outbreak, the rate is more than 90%.
After New Zealand banned travel from nine southern African countries on Sunday, the threat posed by the new Omicron variant did not change plans for reopening. No cases of Omicron have been found in New Zealand and officials are confident that cases will be caught at the border by the quarantine system.
On Friday, there was a sense of excitement among patrons in Auckland, some of whom visited the bar when it was allowed to open at midnight.
Michael Barnett, Chief Executive Officer Auckland Business Chamber, said there was a sense of relief for many business owners, who will try to make the most of the next couple of weeks before Christmas.
He said many owners were trying to come up with new obligations to test vaccine passes.
“There were a lot of questions, more than anything else,” Barnett said. “‘How do I work? What do I do? What do I ask?’ It was a bed-down day for a lot of businesses.”
Some restrictions still remain. Auckland’s border with the rest of the country does not reopen until mid-December.
New one “Traffic Light“The system is designed to indicate that outbreaks are putting pressure on the health system. A green designation imposes certain restrictions, Orange need to wear and remove more masks, and Red Limits gathering size to 100 or fewer people.
Auckland and some other areas have started red light while the rest of the country has started with orange. The government expects Auckland to be moved to orange soon.
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