All of NZ other than Northland to see in the new year in Orange

Public Policy / news

All of NZ other than Northland to see in the new year in the Orange setting of the traffic light system

13th Dec 21, 4:22pm by Jenée Tibshraeny

Jacinda Ardern. Press Gallery pool photo.

All parts of the country at the Red level of the Covid-19 alert level system, other than Northland, will move to Orange at 11:59pm on December 30.

Auckland, Taupō, Rotorua, Kawerau, Whakatane, Ōpōtiki, Gisborne, Wairoa, Rangitikei, Whanganui and Ruapehu will join the rest of New Zealand at Orange on December 30.

This means vaccinated people will be able to attend large events, including new year's eve festivals, everywhere other than in Northland.

Cabinet made the decision on Monday on the back of Ministry of Health advice.

The settings will be reviewed again on January 17.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she would get an update on Omicron in early-January to ensure border settings appropriately factor in the risk associated with the new variant of Covid-19.

Border restrictions are due to start being relaxed from January 17, when vaccinated New Zealanders arriving from Australia will be allowed to self-isolate for seven days rather than go to managed isolation.

From February 14, the same rules are due to apply to New Zealanders arriving from other parts of the world, ahead of the border slowly reopening to foreigners from April 13.

See this story for more on the current plan for reopening the border, which might be up for review when more information about Omicron comes to hand.

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45 Comments

by xingmowang | 13th Dec 21, 4:39pm 1639366783

The govt is gambling on that a 90% of vaccination rate would not see most of NZers getting sick, going to hospital and dying from COVID.

Xmas and new year holiday will see whether the govt is going to be a winner to loser.

by user123 | 13th Dec 21, 6:57pm 1639375026

The pain for NZ will come late summer early winter. We have the trifecta lining up. The normal cold / flu time of year, everyones vax waning around the same time, and a lot of dry kindling - in that we haven't had any significant waves before so there almost no one with natural immunity. We'll be pushing 2-3k cases a day when that wave really hits.

Far from flattening the curve, the government got everyone vax with tight space of time so we all going to have waning immunity at the same time. It's the opposite of what they should have done. But it seems we want to follow the failed path of other nations.

Take a look at Denmark, they had the same 3 things line up. They just peaked at 7.5k cases a day.

by Merrydaze | 13th Dec 21, 7:14pm 1639376073

2-3k cases a day!? Is that you Prags?

by DTRH | 13th Dec 21, 4:39pm 1639366799

To the people who use this website let have a show of hands if you are happy with Jacinda and will vote for labour please like

by Rob Reid | 13th Dec 21, 5:06pm 1639368370

OK, 3.

How many seats would that translate to?

by DTRH | 13th Dec 21, 5:27pm 1639369657

So far

3 for

6 Against

33.3% Rob

by DTRH | 13th Dec 21, 11:39pm 1639391954

So far

4 will vote for Jacinda and labour party

23 will not vote for Jacinda and Labour Party

Labour Party and Jacinda would get 14.8% Not much confidence in this Labour government on this page.

by Kauri | 13th Dec 21, 5:37pm 1639370257

I don't believe a Government's job is to keep me happy. However given the current alternatives I wouldn't vote against Labour at the moment, that said I'm not sure I'd vote for them.

by Pa1nter | 14th Dec 21, 7:02am 1639418551

What's the point in that? This website isn't a good representation of society.

by lastlegs | 14th Dec 21, 9:15am 1639426533

no surprise that a website about money attracts a majority that share a bourgeois worldview.

by Foxglove. | 13th Dec 21, 4:49pm 1639367375

Summary, from the pulpit! Certainty is thus provided. Be very grateful for the belated benevolence bestowed and just count your blessings.Like it or lump it. Merry Christmas!

by DTRH | 13th Dec 21, 4:41pm 1639366868

To the people who use this website let have a show of hands if you are not happy with Jacinda and will not vote for labour please like

by Waikatohome | 13th Dec 21, 4:42pm 1639366962

Can you have a don’t know option? Not too keen on labour but not that keen on the alternatives either!

by Yvil | 13th Dec 21, 6:44pm 1639374255

How about you don't vote if you don't know?

by Waikatohome | 13th Dec 21, 9:39pm 1639384762

Fair comment.

by Alter Ego | 13th Dec 21, 7:02pm 1639375329

Jacinda and Clark are in the Pink, whatever they do. Cash up front, fiddling House Movements, not speculating, know up front, Labour, no thanks..Work is a four letter word.

Only for the glamour us. Houses are only game in town......Tv personalities, not with standing.

by Brutus Iscariot | 13th Dec 21, 7:15pm 1639376121

She's a caring tyrant.

by hannah wire | 14th Dec 21, 5:07pm 1639454859

Green voter here. This site has been shifting right for a while now, which is a shame as I used to enjoy the greater balance of views.

by kpnuts | 13th Dec 21, 4:51pm 1639367497

Amazing that having hit 97% first dose and 94% 2nd dose -- case numbers half their peak hospitalisations under 50 and ICU beds the same as a one vehicle car crash -- Aucklanders still have to wait 17 more days to move out of the most restrictive settings

Be worried if i was in the SI -- after all you are only at Orange now -- and it can only get worse in terms of cases, hospital and ICU usage going forward -- you may be there forever or even red!

All because MPs need their 7 weeks xmas holiday and could not wait four more days to see the full two weeks of a cycle!

by fat pat | 13th Dec 21, 9:09pm 1639382958

Just for some context. Germany, with a much higher population density, was in lockdown for a grand total of 23 days. That was under Angela Merkel. Olaf Schultz (who is kinda equal to NZ Labour ie hardcore socialist) is now chomping at the bit to lockdown the country again despite this thing being almost over.

by Pa1nter | 14th Dec 21, 7:18am 1639419502

There you have it folks, this thing is almost over.

Up next, this week's lotto numbers.

by Nifty1 | 13th Dec 21, 5:12pm 1639368768

Enjoy your 'freedom' before Omicron hits...

by Mr Frank | 13th Dec 21, 5:27pm 1639369654

It may be the one you wanna catch if it is milder and less dangerous. Omicron could be our solution to ending the pandemic.

by Nifty1 | 13th Dec 21, 6:15pm 1639372525

We'll see if the narrative changes...

by RickStrauss | 14th Dec 21, 7:34am 1639420462

The Facebook rage narrative will adapt and we'll still see the hysteria over simultaneous fascism and communism.

by Brutus Iscariot | 13th Dec 21, 7:17pm 1639376227

If that's the case, we should be facilitating the spread of Omicron amongst the young and healthy, so that it outcompetes Delta.

by Mr Frank | 13th Dec 21, 5:26pm 1639369584

Too many rules to learn and remember.

All I know is when you see orange you speed up and go faster. That's how I'm gonna interpret it.

by Foxglove. | 13th Dec 21, 5:42pm 1639370528

“red means run, son, numbers add up to nothing”

by HouseMouse | 13th Dec 21, 5:55pm 1639371328

Have to get my classic Netherlands football shirt out for New Years Celebrations.

Oranje!!!

by Yvil | 13th Dec 21, 6:46pm 1639374366

Celebrating Max Verstappen F1 world championship ?

by nigelh | 14th Dec 21, 11:42am 1639435357

Don't paint your face black around xmas. You'll get hounded.

by Fairlyfrank | 13th Dec 21, 6:26pm 1639373196

Seems to me the iwi road locks for northland are on the wrong side of the road they should be checking those leaving northland, especially when they return given their low vaccination rates .

by Yvil | 13th Dec 21, 6:46pm 1639374403

Haha, great post

by Shoreman | 13th Dec 21, 6:46pm 1639374371

Ardern the hole you are digging is just getting deeper and deeper, fantastic just keep on keeping on LOL !

by dumbthoughts | 13th Dec 21, 8:18pm 1639379926

Seems like a lot of events, festivals etc still being cancelled.

There are going to be some grumpy teenyboppers for sure - they listened to the radio ads that told them "two shots for a sick as summer" and their beloved 'festies' still get canned.

I guess "two shots to sit at home doing what you've been doing for the past two years" isn't quite such a compelling ad (nor would it be so easy to rap).

by Kjeldorian | 14th Dec 21, 9:06am 1639425998

"Two shots and sit,

In your house watching flix,

Suns out and the world is Orange,

Bugger nothing rhymes with Orange"

by Uh Oh | 13th Dec 21, 8:38pm 1639381095

Yay! new zealand gets its freedoms back...well except the unvaccinated.. !!

Icu case numbers climbing and still no more beds, nearly 2 years later....

$100bil buys a lot of hospital beds....

Auckland is still not under control and borders opening... Sounds like a covid mess is coming next year, more lockdowns... yay who's in?

by Squishy | 13th Dec 21, 9:16pm 1639383370

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she would get an update on Omicron in early-January to ensure border settings appropriately factor in the risk associated with the new variant of Covid-19.

Looking at the hospital capacity trackers in the UK Omicron is having no effect [link]. Milder symptoms are meaning fewer hospitalisations and a much shorter stay for those who are hospitalised.

In South Africa [link]:

Only about 30 percent of those hospitalized with COVID-19 in recent weeks have been seriously ill, less than half the rate as during the first weeks of previous pandemic waves.

Average hospital stays for COVID-19 have been shorter this time — about 2.8 days compared to eight days.

Just 3% of patients hospitalized recently with COVID-19 have died, versus about 20% in the country’s earlier outbreaks.

Based on data so far I'd rather deal with Omicron than Delta, particularly heading into winter when cases rapidly accelerate and health systems get overrun.

by paashaas | 13th Dec 21, 10:39pm 1639388369

Too early to tell in the UK .. Delta is still the bulk of the cases. Omicron cases are increasing but most are only a few days old - not long enough to develop severe illness.

SA data looks very promising - but the level of natural immunity there is much greater than in the UK ( or - goes without saying - here in NZ ).

Omicron vs vaccine immunity is still the big unknown .. but the signs are not good at all . This is what is driving UK decision making ; one hopes they are wrong but I fear they are not.

by Squishy | 14th Dec 21, 7:56am 1639421808

Well we'll keep an eye on it over the next couple of weeks and see if hospitals see a major ramp up in cases. I think the first case was found in the UK on the 27th of November.

by nigelh | 14th Dec 21, 11:40am 1639435204

1st UK Omicron death and most Omicron hospitalisations had two vaccines. https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/world/2021/12/covid-19-first-omicron-var…;

What intrigues me the the govt here and in UK don't release individual ages vaccinations and co-morbidities of those who have died. In NZ I'm referring to the one who died in the last two days or so. It appears to be on a need to know basis and the public don't need to know. Difficult to ascertain whrther MSM have been supplied this information and decide not to release it or the govt don't want in the public arena for at least a week or more. My suspicious mind is that its the govt in this instance not releasing the information.

by nktokyo | 14th Dec 21, 6:34am 1639416862

Auckland is just about the most vaccinated city in the world. What threshold do they need to cross to be at level green?

I'm cautious, wear a mask everywhere, vaccinated etc and don't live in Auckland. I don't understand how these decisions are made it seems to be gut feel.

by Fluffybunny | 14th Dec 21, 7:22am 1639419778

You don't need to understand good comrade. Just smile and be kind. Do you own a house? Also vote Labour.

by unaha-closp | 14th Dec 21, 10:06am 1639429561

Extensive polling and focus group political analysis, most likely.

by jerry_NZ | 14th Dec 21, 6:37pm 1639460235

I just came from overseas work trip involved few countries. I can tell you that in Europe or Africa they know basically nothing what is happening here or in Australia. The news that we are getting here are very carefully filtered as well.

Several of people i know in Europe have covid right now - all double vaccinated. It is scary, not mentioning the number of people with side effects after vaccination.

I'm really concerned as if the same situation will repeat here (and i do not see why not) we will be in big trouble.

The saddest thing is manipulation and divide of the society - INCREDIBLE in NZ. Very, very sad.