By the Re: team
It's too early for the Government to know when the country will move from the Red light setting to Orange as Omicron increases in its spread, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says.
Any decision would be based on the impact of the country's healthcare system, Ardern said to media following a meeting with Cabinet ministers on Tuesday afternoon.
The setting was in constant assessment, Ardern said. The Government would be in a better position to make a judgement on the Red light setting during a point where the country was comfortable, reached a peak and maintained health services, she said.
The country won't be able to stamp out Omicron and Ardern said today was the start of a nationwide booster drive.
She encouraged all eligible people to get their booster shots.
"It was two shots for Delta and three for Omicron," Ardern said. "Cases are going up but this is not unexpected and in line with what we planned for."
This comes after new modelling suggests New Zealand's Omicron outbreak will be large with daily hospital admissions reaching up to 800 people over the next few months and putting strain on the country's health system.
Ardern also announced that farmers and growers would be getting extra support with the Government providing $400,000 to support primary producers if they get infected by Covid-19.
When asked about the latest data modelling, Ardern said she wanted to be cautious and could not give any certainty around what could be expected in New Zealand.
Instead, it was about preparing for both low and high scenarios, she said.
Also speaking to media, Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said while there was concern about hospital capacity, advice the Government had received from health professionals was that they are ready.
"We have done a whole variety of scenario planning," Hipkins said.
Hipkins said the best way to prepare for the health system was to do everything possible to prevent severe disease in the first place - this included getting vaccinated, booster doses and mask use.
Ardern said the country was not out of plans and there was still some control over what happens next.
Top Image: A health professional testing for Covid-19. (File photo) Photo: iStock
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