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from: NICK PERRY, Associated Press
Posted: Dec 3, 2021 12:47 AM CST
Updated December 3, 2021 12:47 AM CST
A courier delivers goods to a store in central Auckland, New Zealand on Monday, November 8, 2021. The lockdown of New Zealand’s largest city, Auckland, for nearly three months after a Delta variant outbreak is expected to end later this month, with some coronavirus restrictions being relaxed on Tuesday November 9th (Dean Purcell / NZ Herald via AP)
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) – Bars, restaurants and gyms reopened in Auckland on Friday as the last major parts of a 100-day lockdown ended.
New Zealand has started a new phase of its coronavirus response in which there will be no bans, but people will need to be fully vaccinated – and show proof of it with vaccination cards – to access many services.
The government ruled that vaccination rates were high enough to switch to the new system, as around 87% of people aged 12 and over are fully vaccinated. In Auckland, which was at the center of the country’s outbreak, the rate is over 90%.
The threat posed by the new Omicron variant did nothing to change plans for reopening after New Zealand restricted travel from nine countries in southern Africa on Sunday. No cases of Omicron have been found in New Zealand and officials remain confident that cases at the border will be covered by the quarantine system.
There was excitement among guests in Auckland on Friday, some of whom visited the bars as soon as they were allowed to open at midnight.
Michael Barnett, the chief executive officer of the Auckland Business Chamber, said there is a sense of relief for many business owners looking to make the most of the next few weeks before Christmas.
He said many owners were trying to come to terms with the new vaccination passport verification requirements.
“There were a lot of questions, more than anything,” said Barnett. “Questions about ‘How do I work? What am I doing? What do I ask? ‘ For many companies it was a day of bed rest. “
Some restrictions still remain. The border from Auckland to the rest of the country will not reopen until mid-December.
A new “traffic light system” is intended to show where outbreaks are putting the health system under pressure. A green label imposes few restrictions, orange requires more mask wear and more distance, and red limits the gathering size to 100 people or less.
Auckland and some other areas started from red while the rest of the country started from orange. The government hopes to switch Auckland to orange soon.
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https://www.kxan.com/news/international/auckland-reopens-as-new-zealand-tries-new-virus-approach/
