Covid plan slammed by parties
National Party leader Judith Collins appeared to hold back tears as she decried the Government’s ‘‘dismaying, confusing, and complicated’’ Covid-19 plan, which has been criticised by all parties in Parliament.
‘‘I’ve just got off the phone from some Aucklanders, and I have to say that they’re in despair, in tears. They see no way out for them to get out of the prison that Auckland has now become until most likely midDecember,’’ Collins said yesterday.
‘‘They’re saying enough. Enough of this confusion, enough of playing mind games with people, enough of the Government not delivering on their promises, and enough of expecting other New Zealanders to have to carry that can for them.’’
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern yesterday morning announced that Auckland will leave Covid-19 alert level 3 restrictions when its three district health boards (DHBs) reach a target of 90 per cent of its eligible population fully vaccinated.
The rest of the country will follow suit when the 90 per cent threshold is reached at each DHB, with the possibility that the South Island may move sooner. Once that vaccination threshold is met, a ‘‘traffic light’’ system of more permissive restrictions, that curbs the freedoms of unvaccinated people, will replace the alert level system.
Collins said Auckland would not ‘‘get a chance’’ to return to normality and ‘‘a release from prison’’ until mid-December, and the Government was now ‘‘pitting New Zealander against New Zealander’’.
ACT leader David Seymour said the Government’s plan was a ‘‘very complicated’’ version of a ‘‘freedom day’’ – a target date by which restrictions
‘‘They see no way out for them to get out of the prison that Auckland has now become until most likely mid-December.’’ Judith Collins National Party leader
will be lifted, deployed by state governments in Australia, and a policy the ACT party has been pushing.
‘‘Rather than the Government saying, ‘Here are the rules, we give you freedom day’, they’ve set an unrealistic target.’’
Green Party Covid-19 spokeswoman Julie Anne Genter said the Government’s plan was risky, and it should set a target vaccination rate for Ma¯ ori and Pasifika at 95 per cent of the eligible population.
‘‘The Government is, unfortunately, planning to move to a new Covid-19 response strategy before New Zealand is ready. The proposed vaccination targets are insufficient to protect the most vulnerable, and risk opening up before everyone is safe on an equal basis,’’ Genter said.
‘Ma¯ori Party co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer said Ma¯ori were likely to take ‘‘the biggest hits’’ from the current outbreak, and the ‘‘monocultural’’ strategy would be harmful.
‘‘The fact that the Government has been absolutely resistant to setting Ma¯ori targets right from the outset is a problem. The fact they have ignored all Ma¯ori health expert advice right from the outset is a problem. The fact that they have ignored iwi and Ma¯ ori providers all along is a problem.’’