Coronavirus: NZ’s PM Jacinda Ardern cancels wedding over Omicron; Samoa in snap lockdown
- Leader’s wedding called off as New Zealand imposes restrictions to slow community spread of Covid-19 variant
- Elsewhere, Samoa calls 48-hour lockdown after 15 people test positive for Covid-19, while South Korea records second-highest Covid count ahead of holiday
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was forced to call off her own wedding on Sunday as she tightened Covid-19 restrictions in the face of an outbreak of the Omicron variant.
“My wedding will not be going ahead,” she confirmed after detailing new restrictions; including a limit of 100 fully vaccinated people at events.
“I just joined many other New Zealanders who have had an experience like that as a result of the pandemic, and to anyone who is caught up in that scenario I am so sorry.”
I’m no different to thousands of other New Zealanders who have had much more devastating impacts felt by the pandemic
The emergence of nine cases of Omicron in a family who travelled between cities to attend a wedding, and the infection of a flight attendant on one aircraft they flew on, forced New Zealand to impose its “red setting” restrictions from midnight Sunday.
Omicron is far more transmissible than the earlier Delta variant but is less likely to make people seriously ill.
In addition to limiting crowd numbers, face coverings are now mandatory on public transport and in shops.
Ardern and long-time partner Clarke Gayford have never announced their wedding date, but it was believed to be scheduled for some time in the next few weeks.
