PM Jacinda Ardern announces end to traffic light system in new phase in our Covid 19 response

All of the country's main Covid-19 protections – including mask and vaccine requirements – will soon be dropped, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced.

The Covid-19 Protection Framework, or traffic light system, will end from 11.59pm tonight.

This means masks will no longer be required to be worn, aside from in healthcare and aged care facilities.

Ardern said today's announcement was a "milestone in our response".

"Finally, rather than feeling that Covid dictates what happens to us, our lives, and our futures, we take back control."

"There is no question – thousands of lives have been saved by the efforts of Kiwis.

"Be it iwi and Māori health providers, Pacifica organisations, aged care providers, businesses or the sacrifices of New Zealanders separated from loved ones, everyone played a part.

"So today, I say again to everyone, from the bottom of my heart, thank you."

Ardern said the decisions were based on health advice, with case numbers and hospitalisations the lowest they'd been since February. Vaccination levels were also high and there was increased access to anti-viral medicines, she said.

The Government would no longer require people to wear masks, however some places – including workplaces – could still request people wear masks.

Cabinet also met today to consider a date for a memorial service and public holiday to mark Queen Elizabeth's death.

New Zealand will mourn the death of Queen Elizabeth II with a one-off public holiday on September 26.

Ardern will travel to London later this week ahead of the Queen's funeral next Monday.

The NZ Herald understands Cabinet was considering a decision to scrap the traffic light system from as soon as midnight tonight and to let one of the key Covid-19 provisions allowing the Government to make rules for Covid-19 lapse rather than renewing it.

It would mark a new stage of the Covid-19 response, which the Government has earlier said would eventually be dealt with in the same way as the flu, but with flexibility to call on stricter measures if they were justified such as because of a different variant.

There were 1149 new Covid cases reported today after numbers dipped below 1000 over the weekend.

The seven-day rolling average of cases today is 1480 while last Monday it was 1778, the Ministry of Health said in today's update.

There are 225 people in hospital with the virus, including three in intensive care. The seven-day rolling average of hospitalisations today is 241; last Monday, it was 273.

A further six Covid-related deaths have been reported, including three people aged in their 80s and three in their 90s.

Earlier today, Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson said Cabinet would consider the health and economic assessments in making the decision.

"Our approach has been tweaked and changed all the way through in response to things to be proportionate, and so Cabinet will look at that today and make our decision.

"We have to plan for variants into the future but we also have to acknowledge that through winter our health system came under a lot of strain but we made it through.

"But we've just to make sure that we've got a fit-for-purpose response to the place we find ourselves in now."

The Covid-19 Response laws giving the Government and director general of health special powers to make rules for the Covid-19 response all have to be renewed regularly.

The traffic light system was set up under the Epidemic Preparedness (Covid-19) Notice 2020 which has been renewed by the Prime Minister every three months since March 2020. The Notice is required to be able to make orders for the Covid-19 response.

That was last renewed in June and is due to expire on September 16 unless renewed again this week – something that is usually done a few days in advance.

Face masks

Face masks will no longer be required anywhere except when visiting some healthcare facilities like hospitals, GPs, pharmacies and aged-care residential facilities.

Some sites, like workplaces or marae, may ask people to wear a mask.

"This will be at their discretion and no longer a Government requirement. Please respect those who choose to keep wearing masks as a form of protection," Ardern said.

Masks are still recommended in confined places such as public transport or when visiting vulnerable people.

Isolation and testing

Only individuals who test positive for Covid-19 will be required to isolate for seven days.

This means household contacts no longer need to isolate. It is recommended household contacts take a RAT test every day for five days before going about their life as normal, the Ministry of Health said.

"In short, we now move on to a simple two requirements system of masks in healthcare settings and seven days isolation for positive cases only," Ardern said.

Vaccination mandates

All remaining Government vaccine mandates will end in two weeks' time - at 11.59pm, September 26.

Ardern said it would now be an employer's discretion as to whether they require their workforce to be vaccinated.

International travellers

Vaccination requirements will end for all travellers and air crew arriving in New Zealand from 11.59pm tonight.

People arriving at New Zealand airports from overseas will still receive free RATs and will be encouraged to test on day 0/1 and 5/6.

Covid-19 medicines

Covid-19 Minister Ayesha Verrall said today all New Zealanders aged 65 and over, and Māori aged 50 and over, would have automatic, free access to Covid antivirals if they tested positive for the virus.

Anyone who had three high-risk conditions was also eligible for free anti-viral medicines.

A further 40,000 courses of anti-viral medicines have been purchased by the Government and are expected to enter New Zealand in the coming weeks.

Find out more information at covid19.govt.nz

This article was first published by the NZ Herald and is republished here with permission.