The majority of the remaining coronavirus-related restrictions in New Zealand were lifted on Monday, according to government authorities.
According to The Associated Press, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said that masks would no longer be necessary in supermarkets, businesses, buses, or airlines, and that travelers will no longer be required to be vaccinated to visit the nation.
The government abandoned the COVID-19 traffic light scheme employed during the epidemic, but kept two limitations in place: persons who test positive must quarantine for seven days, and masks remain necessary in health care institutions.
“We’ve made substantial modifications today.” “They are a watershed moment in our reaction,” Ardern told The Associated Press. “This is a period when, rather than feeling as though COVID determines what happens to us, our lives, and our futures, we reclaim power.”
“This will be the first summer in three years where there will be no What if?” Ardern went on.
According to health officials, 1,149 new cases, six fatalities, and 225 hospitalizations have been reported in the last day, three of which are in intensive care units.
Mask are no longer mandatory
Masks will no longer be required to enter some health establishments, such as hospitals, pharmacies, and nursing homes, as of Tuesday. “Please respect people who continue to wear them for safety,” Ardern urged.
Individual companies and enterprises are free to establish their own mask and vaccine policies, although experts predict that mask use will decline once official limitations are lifted. The measures, according to Ardern, would “help promote business activity, which is critical to the nation’s economic recovery.”
Tourism New Zealand First World Wide Campaign
Following its reopening, Tourism New Zealand, the country’s official destination marketing organization, launched its first worldwide campaign, “If You Seek,” encouraging foreign guests to experience transformative tourism.