New Zealand Covid-19 infections reached a record high as anti-vaccine protesters claimed victory after police failed to clear vehicles blocking the streets around parliament.
Health authorities reported 1,160 new coronavirus cases, the most since the pandemic began, as the Omicron variant continues to spread in a country that was largely virus-free until August.
While there have only been 53 virus deaths in the nation of five million, some protesters have taken to the streets railing against Covid-related restrictions and a government vaccination drive.
Demonstrators inspired by Canada's "Freedom Convoy" jammed roads with cars, trucks and campervans last week, then set up camp on the lawns of parliament in the capital Wellington.