Kiwis encouraged to live normally as omicron outbreak surges

Kiwis encouraged to live normally as omicron outbreak surges
A Press Gallery reporter's positive covid test thinned ranks for today's press conference. (Image: BusinessDesk)
Pattrick Smellie
High vaccination rates mean that New Zealanders are likely to start to choose to live relatively normally despite the country moving to ‘phase two’ of its omicron outbreak response at 11.59pm on Tuesday, prime minister Jacinda Ardern said.Unlike previous moves to higher alert levels during the pandemic, the ‘phase two’ response reduces self-isolation times for both infected people and their close contacts, and exemptions for close contacts who work in essential industries will kick in.The main difference is a major...

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