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Download AudioNational Party leader Christopher Luxon is getting ahead of any pending Government announcements by calling for a complete end to Covid restrictions.
Māori pandemic response group Te Rōpū Whakakaupapa Urutā wants some measures to remain until Māori vaccination rates catch up.
But Mr Luxon says Auckland has passed the peak of Omicron, and it’s time to move on.
“The reality is we’re 95 per cent vaccinated. The most important thing is 85 per cent in every DHB aged over 60 are now boosted and I think 72 per cent of us are all boosted as well. Vaccine mandates, vaccine passports made tremendous sense under Delta. They don’t make sense under Omicron because it busts through those vaccinations,” he says.
Mr Luxon says he’d drop all scanning requirements from today, end vaccine pass requirements except for large indoor events, and remove vaccine mandates for under-18s so they can get out and play sport.
Cabinet today considered vaccine passes, mandates and wider adjustments to the Covid-19 protection framework, but announcements aren’t expected until Wednesday.
There were 14495 new cases reported today, bringing the number of active cases in the community to 120,000.
There were also 12 deaths.
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