New Zealanders are likely to see their freedoms again as early as next week as the government considers scrapping its ‘traffic light’ response system used during the coronavirus pandemic.
The cabinet will decide Monday whether the remaining Covid-19 restrictions will be thrown away, in a move that would abolish mask mandates next Wednesday.
The country’s traffic light framework, with its green, orange and red levels, was introduced in December 2021 to control and mitigate Omicron outbreaks.
The setup is being used to assess Covid warnings, with the nation currently sitting at orange level.
This means that Kiwis must wear a mask in most indoor environments – including on public transport and in supermarkets.
Some ministers debated the effectiveness of restrictions, with support among weary New Zealanders dwindling (photo, Kiwis waiting for coffee in Auckland)
But otherwise they are free to go about their daily lives, while being encouraged ‘to protect vulnerable communities’.
In inner areas the rules are stricter if the traffic light system is at red level and if it is green there are no restrictions.
With green, masks aren’t mandatory and there’s no need to do QR scans in locations – but some health advice remains, such as encouraging people to stay at home when sick.
‘We look much better,’ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern (pictured last month)
The cabinet will examine a recommendation to abolish the traffic light system rather than go green as the number of cases in the country continues to fall.
Cases have fallen from nearly 40,000 at their peak last March to 1,898 on Tuesday.
Removing the framework would end more than two years of Covid-19 rules for New Zealanders.
Kiwis on the street told the New Zealand Herald they were over the mandates and the country should become more like Europe, where it is ‘so much freer’.
‘I think Covid has the flu now and no one is taking it seriously – [they should be enforced in] situations like in hospitals, where people are more susceptible,” said one.
Another person who works in a supermarket said it was “frustrating” as 50 percent of customers weren’t wearing a mask – people don’t even care anymore,” she said.
The current orange setting of the traffic light system means Kiwis must wear masks in many indoor environments – such as public transport and supermarkets (photo, Auckland shoppers)
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has for months suggested moving away from the traffic light system as long as the Omicron outbreak had reached its peak and hospitals were under less pressure.
“We look much better than we were, even six to eight weeks ago, so it’s just seeing if we’re in a position to make some changes there,” Ms Ardern told media on Wednesday.
A decision to abolish the framework is based on consultations with the Minister of Health and the Director-General of Health.
Some ministers debated the effectiveness of the restrictions, and support from the weary New Zealanders waned.
If the cabinet agrees to scrap the system, the disease will be treated like the flu.
But the government will keep a tight rein on quickly restarting a response if a new and stronger variant begins to wreak havoc.
And it is working on longer-term proposals to manage the pandemic in the future.
Health officials can still enforce mask mandates in public health facilities, such as hospitals, and can advise their use on public transportation.
But companies and providers have the freedom to enforce mask-wearing as they see fit, the New Zealand Herald reported.
Retail NZ Chief Executive Greg Harford told Newstalk ZB that face masks in retail environments should be discarded because most shoppers ignored the mandate.
He said two-thirds of them either ignored the rule or had exemptions.
Police had also stopped fines of $4,000 for refusing to wear masks.
Despite fierce criticism from some in the country over restrictions, Jacinda Ardern repeatedly defended the rules, saying they had saved lives (pictured, guests at an Auckland restaurant)
“It’s all nonsense and the sooner we can move forward the better,” Mr Hartford said on Thursday.
It comes as Ms Ardern opened the country’s borders to travelers in August as cases began to decline after a resurgence in July.
Until last year, New Zealand followed a zero-covid policy – keeping its population largely virus-free due to strict lockdown measures, aggressive contact tracing and border controls that left some of its own citizens trapped outside the country.
Despite strong criticism from some in the country over the restrictions, Ms Ardern has repeatedly defended the rules and said they have saved lives.
But last October, the government finally acknowledged that it could no longer remain Covid-free.
At that time, the country of five million had recorded fewer than 30 deaths.
Protesters converged on the capital Wellington earlier this year (pictured), culminating in a brutal showdown, during which they were removed from New Zealand’s parliament.
Most of the latest virus containment restrictions, including meeting limits and vaccine mandates, were lifted early in the year.
But health authorities brought back free face masks and Covid tests last July in an effort to contain the latest wave that has ramped up pressure on hospitals.
New Zealand also endured “the worst flu season in recent history” this winter.
Meanwhile, protesters against vaccines and anti-Covid mandates traveled in convoy to the capital Wellington in March and February and refused to leave.
Their stay culminated in a brutal showdown, during which they were removed from the New Zealand Parliament.
A crowd of 2,000 protesters, organized by the Freedom and Rights Coalition, returned last month to protest over a range of issues, including the removal of Covid-19 rules.