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National | Jacinda Ardern

Northland to join rest of country at Orange at midnight

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has confirmed Northland will get out of Red under the Covid Traffic Light System and join the country at Orange at 11:59pm tonight.

This means the entire country will remain at Orange, and no region will go to Green.

Ardern says vaccination rates continue to climb in Northland (89% for first doses and 86% for second doses), and no great numbers of cases have been found in the region.

"In addition, the easing of the Auckland boundary over summer has not caused a drive in numbers of cases in the Northland region. In fact, the changes in boundaries have not caused an escalation of cases anywhere in the country."

Ardern attributes that to three things: "Exceptional vaccination rates, our public health teams continuing to stamp out cases when they find them, and the Covid Protection Framework working as intended.

"All have come together to reduce the spread of Delta and leave us in one of the best positions in the world to fight Omicron."

'Challenge of Omicron'

Ardern acknowledges there will be a challenge to keep the Omicron variant out and make it harder to control "once it arrives", due to the high transmissibility.

"Just like Covid before, when it changes, we change, and we are in a solid position to do that."

"To slow it down we need to remain on guard and ready. That is why we will remain at Orange."

She also confirmed that when Omicron enters the community beyond border-related cases, the entire country will enter the Red setting within 24 to 48 hours.

"It is important to remember that at Red it does not mean lockdowns or regional boundaries, and business remains open."

Ardern also says when Omicron arrives, vaccinations will need to be taken further.

Booster critical

“Evidence tells us that while two doses of the vaccine make a huge difference to the Delta variant, it is the booster that will help us get through Omicron.

“While many people who become infected with Omicron will not get critically unwell, others will. The boosters reduce the severity of illness – it means you are much less likely to end up in hospital than if you don’t receive a booster.”

Ardern also said the cabinet has established “several principles” for testing in the future.

“They’ll [testing] be focused on those who are symptomatic, vulnerable, essential workers and close contacts. They will be free.

“Rapid antigen tests will be used more widely. They perform best when rates of Covid are high.”

Ardern says the country already has over 4.6 million rapid antigen tests, with tens more millions of tests on order.

Getting ready

She says every day without Omicron "is a day we can continue to prepare.

“We need everyone to think about how we can prepare. For families, make sure your vaccines are up to date and everyone that is eligible is boosted. Think about what you will need at home if you are required to isolate.

The prime minister had a message for business: "Think about PPE and distancing in your workplace, as well as how you can support your workforce to get a booster. Think about contingency planning should parts of your workforce need to stay at home and familiarise yourself with the Leave Support Scheme that gives financial support for people who are isolating."

Ardern says New Zealand is well-placed to take on this next challenge, "because we’ve always put the important things first and that ultimately is one another.”