Coronavirus: New Zealand sets 90 per cent vaccine target to end lockdown; Melbourne reopens with cheers
- Once the target is reached, the government will begin to ease restrictions and introduce a new traffic-light system to gauge the level of risk in each region
- Elsewhere, Tokyo’s cases dropped to their lowest since last June, and Malaysia lifted its migrant worker ban and reopened Langkawi to foreigners
Once 90 per cent of the eligible population aged 12 and over is fully vaccinated, the government will begin to ease restrictions and introduce a new traffic-light system to gauge the level of risk in each region, Ardern said at a news conference on Friday in Wellington. The government will measure vaccination rates for each District Health Board around the country, she said.
“This target ensures good regional spread across the country and will also help address equity issues within each region,” Ardern said. “We will be one of the few countries that will have such high levels of vaccination while still using public health measures to keep everyone as safe as we can.”
New Zealand’s 90 per cent target compares with 80 per cent in Singapore, while Britain did away with restrictions before a 70 per cent vaccination rate was reached.
Currently, around 68 per cent of eligible New Zealanders are fully vaccinated, while 86 per cent have had at least one shot.
New Zealand had pursued a strict elimination strategy that served it well through the initial stages of the pandemic, but it has been unable to beat an outbreak of the highly infectious Delta variant in Auckland.
