New Zealand prime minister cancels wedding as country locks down


New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced Sunday that she had canceled her wedding as the country implements a strict lockdown meant to control the spread of Omicron, BBC reports.
According to The Washington Post, the new lockdown includes an indoor mask mandate, restrictions on gatherings, and social distancing requirements. Gatherings that require proof of vaccination will be capped at 100 attendees, while events that allow the unvaccinated to attend will be capped at 25.
New Zealand has so far had considerable success in controlling the spread of COVID-19, with only 15,000 confirmed cases and 52 deaths to date in a country of about five million. Almost 80 percent of the population is fully vaccinated.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The highly infectious Omicron variant could put an end to that record of success, with Ardern announcing that she expects the number of new cases per day will exceed 1,000 in the coming weeks.
"I am no different to, dare I say it, thousands of other New Zealanders who have had much more devastating impacts felt by the pandemic, the most gutting of which is the inability to be with a loved one sometimes when they are gravely ill," Ardern said.
The 41-year-old Labour prime minister has been engaged to television host Clarke Gayford since 2019. In 2018, she gave birth to their daughter.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Grayson Quay was the weekend editor at TheWeek.com. His writing has also been published in National Review, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Modern Age, The American Conservative, The Spectator World, and other outlets. Grayson earned his M.A. from Georgetown University in 2019.
-
Measles cases surge to 33-year high
Speed Read The infection was declared eliminated from the US in 2000 but has seen a resurgence amid vaccine hesitancy
-
Kennedy's vaccine panel signals skepticism, change
Speed Read RFK Jr.'s new vaccine advisory board intends to make changes to the decades-old US immunization system
-
Kennedy ousts entire CDC vaccine advisory panel
speed read Health Secretary RFK Jr. is a longtime anti-vaccine activist who has criticized the panel of experts
-
RFK Jr. scraps Covid shots for pregnant women, kids
Speed Read The Health Secretary announced a policy change without informing CDC officials
-
New FDA chiefs limit Covid-19 shots to elderly, sick
speed read The FDA set stricter approval standards for booster shots
-
US overdose deaths plunged 27% last year
speed read Drug overdose still 'remains the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-44,' said the CDC
-
Trump seeks to cut drug prices via executive order
speed read The president's order tells pharmaceutical companies to lower prescription drug prices, but it will likely be thrown out by the courts
-
RFK Jr.: A new plan for sabotaging vaccines
Feature The Health Secretary announced changes to vaccine testing and asks Americans to 'do your own research'