'COVID-19 pandemic will not end with the Omicron variant'

WELLINGTON: The COVID-19 pandemic will not end with the Omicron variant and New Zealand will have to prepare for more variants of the virus this year, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Tuesday in her first parliamentary speech for 2022.

Ardern’s warning came as hundreds of protesters gathered outside the parliament building in the capital Wellington, demanding an end to coronavirus restrictions and vaccine mandates.

“Mr Speaker, advice from experts is that Omicron will not be the last variant we will face this year,” Ardern told lawmakers in the speech which was livestreamed.

“It’s not over. But that doesn’t mean we cannot move forward. And keep making progress. And so we are,” she said.

Explainer: Why you should still try to avoid catching Omicron 

Ardern’s government has enforced some of the toughest pandemic restriction in New Zealand for the last two years, as the government tried to keep the coronavirus out.

The policies helped keep infections and deaths low. A country of five million people, New Zealand has had about 18,000 confirmed COVID cases so far and 53 deaths.

But it also angered many who faced endless home isolation, and tens of thousands of expatriate New Zealanders who were cut off from families back home as the borders remained sealed. The measures have also been devastating for businesses dependent on international tourists.