New Zealand will ease coronavirus restrictions in its biggest city from Wednesday as vaccinations rates rise and lockdown measures will likely be phased out by the end of the month, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has said.
The city of Auckland has been in lockdown for nearly three months as the infectious Delta variant of the coronavirus spread, infecting more than 4,500 people since August in New Zealand's worst phase of the pandemic.
But a pick-up in vaccination rates and mounting pressure from critics calling for more freedoms, have prompted Ms Ardern to end the curbs. "Auckland has worked so hard to get their vaccination rates high, they deserve to be able to move as soon as they hit those targets regardless of what's happening in the