WELLINGTON
\nNew Zealand\u2019s government will lift all remaining COVID-19 requirements from midnight Tuesday, bringing an end to some of the toughest COVID-19 pandemic rules in the world more than three years after they were put in place.
\nMinister of Health Ayesha Verrall said in a statement on Monday that from Tuesday people will no longer have to wear a face mask in health care facilities or isolate for seven days after contracting the virus.
\n\u201cWhile our case numbers will continue to fluctuate, we have not seen the dramatic peaks that characterised COVID-19 rates last year. This, paired with the population\u2019s immunity levels, means Cabinet and I am advised we\u2019re positioned to safely remove the remaining COVID-19 requirements,\u201d Verrall said.
\nMost of the restrictions were removed last year as vaccination rates reached high levels and the country\u2019s hospitals successfully navigated a winter without being overwhelmed.
\nThe decision to remove the requirements comes just two months out from a closely contested election.
\nWhile the New Zealand government\u2019s handling of the pandemic was globally recognised for keeping infection and death rates at low levels, domestically it faced criticism for the extended lockdowns, school closures and closed borders.
\nPrime Minister Chris Hipkins said the formal end of restrictions was a \u201csignificant milestone.\u201d
\n\u201cI believe that New Zealanders can be enormously proud of what we achieved together. We stayed home, we made sacrifices, we got vaccinated and there is absolutely no question that we saved lives,\u201d he told his weekly press conference.
\nWhile no longer mandatory, the Minister of Health still recommends that people stay home for five days if you\u2019re unwell or have tested positive.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
WELLINGTON New Zealand\u2019s government will lift all remaining COVID-19 requirements from midnight Tuesday, bringing an end to some of the toughest COVID-19 pandemic rules in the world more than three years after they were put in place. Minister of Health Ayesha Verrall said in a statement on Monday that from Tuesday people will no longer […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":349300,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-349272","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n