Credit / Newshub
The government will not 'trap' Aucklanders in the city over Christmas, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says. However, she is not ruling out barring travel by unvaccinated Aucklanders.
“We are not going to keep you trapped over Christmas," Ardern told Newshub Nation on Saturday. "We can't, we won’t, it’s not right, but we have to find a way to keep people safe."
The Prime Minister acknowledged Aucklanders are exhausted due to the lengthy lockdown and repeated her commitment to ensuring they could have a holiday away from the city.
“Everyone needs a reprieve right now, people are Covid-exhausted. I want that reprieve, that break, to happen over summer," Ardern said.
“My commitment to Aucklanders is that they will have a summer break.”
The Prime Minister said cabinet was still deciding if Aucklanders would have to be vaccinated to travel.
“If the rest of the country has high rates of vaccination, it simplifies everything,” she said.