New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern cancels wedding amid new COVID-19 curbs

New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern cancels wedding amid new COVID-19 curbs

FPJ Web DeskUpdated: Sunday, January 23, 2022, 09:30 AM IST
article-image

Wellington: New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was Sunday forced to call off her own wedding as she tightened Covid-19 restrictions in the face of an outbreak of the Omicron variant.


"My wedding will not be going ahead," she told reporters, adding she was sorry for anyone caught up in a similar scenario. Ardern had not disclosed her wedding date, but it was rumored to be imminent.

Asked by reporters how she felt about the cancellation of her wedding to longtime partner and fishing-show host Clarke Gayford, Ardern replied: "Such is life."

She added, "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. That will far, far outstrip any sadness I experience."

New Zealanders are set to face new COVID-19 restrictions after nine cases of the omicron variant were detected in a single family that flew to Auckland for a wedding earlier this month, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced Sunday.

The so-called “red setting” of the country’s pandemic response includes heightened measures such as required mask wearing and limits on gatherings, and the restrictions will go into effect on Monday.

Ardern stressed that “red is not lockdown,” noting that businesses can remain open and people can still visit family and friends and move freely around the country. “Our plan for managing omicron cases in the early stage remains the same as delta, where we will rapidly test, contact trace and isolate cases and contacts in order to slow the spread,” Ardern told reporters in Wellington on Sunday.

New Zealand has detected 15,104 Covid-19 cases and recorded 52 deaths since the pandemic began.

RECENT STORIES

Who is Shabana Mahmood? Know All About UK’s 1st Muslim Woman Home Secretary

Who is Shabana Mahmood? Know All About UK’s 1st Muslim Woman Home Secretary

India firmly Rejects US Trade Adviser Peter Navarro’s Remarks On Brahmins Profiteering Over...

India firmly Rejects US Trade Adviser Peter Navarro’s Remarks On Brahmins Profiteering Over...

PM Modi To Skip General Debate Address At High-Level UNGA Session, S Jaishankar To Represent India

PM Modi To Skip General Debate Address At High-Level UNGA Session, S Jaishankar To Represent India

'I'll Always Be Friends With PM Modi, Nothing To Worry About': US President Donald Trump Affirms...

'I'll Always Be Friends With PM Modi, Nothing To Worry About': US President Donald Trump Affirms...

'Koi Baat Nahi': Imran Khan's Sister Aleema Khanum Stays Calm After Egg Hits Her Face Outside Adiala...

'Koi Baat Nahi': Imran Khan's Sister Aleema Khanum Stays Calm After Egg Hits Her Face Outside Adiala...