New Zealand has announced it is dropping its controversial ‘zero COVID’ policy after numerous critics pointed out that such an approach to eliminating the virus was impossible.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern made the announcement earlier today during a press conference in which she acknowledged, “The return to zero has been extremely difficult.”
“What we have called a long tail has been more like a tentacle that has been difficult to shake,” she added, noting that the delta variant of the virus forced a change in policy.
Critics had repeatedly asked how the country expected to maintain a ‘zero COVID’ policy given the emergence of new variants of the virus and decreasing efficacy of the initial round of vaccinations.
NEW – New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern is abandoning her draconian "Zero Covid" restrictions amid Delta variant, says vaccines will change the way forward.pic.twitter.com/9uGQBBKz1V
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) October 4, 2021
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summit.news/2021/10/04/new-zealand-abandons-controversial-zero-covid-policy/