New Zealand set to remove final Covid-19 restrictions
New Zealand's government will lift all remaining Covid-19 requirements this week, bringing an end to some of the toughest Covid-19 pandemic rules in the world more than three years after they were put in place.
Minister of Health Ayesha Verrall said in a statement that from tomorrow people will no longer have to wear a face mask in healthcare facilities or isolate for seven days after contracting the virus. "While our case numbers will continue to fluctuate, we have not seen the dramatic peaks that characterised Covid-19 rates last year. "This, paired with the population's immunity levels, means cabinet and I am advised we're positioned to safely remove the remaining Covid-19 requirements," Ms Verrall said.
Most of the restrictions were removed last year as vaccination rates reached high levels and the country’s hospitals successfully navigated a winter without being overwhelmed.
The decision to remove the requirements comes just two months out from a closely contested election. While the New Zealand government's handling of the pandemic was globally recognised for keeping infection and death rates at low levels, domestically it faced criticism for the extended lockdowns, school closures and closed borders.
United States
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Cases: 46 252 513
Deaths: 750 423
Recovered: 0
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India
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Cases: 34 321 025
Deaths: 459 652
Recovered: 0
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Brazil
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Cases: 21 835 785
Deaths: 608 235
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United Kingdom
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Russia
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