Locks in some parts of New Zealand will be removed once 90 percent of residents are fully vaccinated. Prime Minister Jacinta Artern also announced that the current warning levels would be replaced by a ‘traffic light’ system.
Currently, about seven in ten people in New Zealand are fully vaccinated, and more than eight in ten have received the first shot. But the new traffic light system will be introduced and the locking will be removed only in areas where more than nine out of ten people have been fully vaccinated.
Balance
“Those who are fully vaccinated can then visit friends and family and go to bars and restaurants,” Artern said. Initially, she was opposed to setting targets for vaccination. Under the new system, businesses in the green and orange zones that were previously considered high risk will be able to fully reopen their doors to vaccinated customers. They can work continuously in red zones, but with restrictions.
If New Zealand can effectively vaccinate 90 percent of the population, it will have one of the highest vaccination rates in the world. “So we’re creating a balance between reopening and protecting our population,” Artern said.
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