New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Arden has canceled her marriage to longtime partner Clark Gayford as the nation imposed new restrictions to slow the community spread of the Omicron variant.
In this October 17, 2020, file photo, New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is seen with her partner Clark Gayford after her victory speech to members of the Labor Party at an event in Auckland, New Zealand. (AP photo)
New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Arden has canceled her wedding as the nation imposes new restrictions to slow the community spread of the omicron variant of the Covid-19, she told reporters on Sunday.
New Zealand will collect mask rules and limits from midnight on Sunday after a cluster of nine Covid-19 omicron cases showed the community spread from the North to South Islands after the wedding.
A family plane returned to Nelson in the South Island after attending a wedding and other events in Auckland, North Island. The family and a flight attendant tested positive.
New Zealand will move to a red setting under its COVID-19 protection framework, with more masks. Indoor hospitality settings such as bars and restaurants and events such as weddings will be limited to 100 people. Arden said the limit has been reduced to 25 people if venues are not using the vaccine pass.
“My marriage won’t go ahead,” she told reporters, adding that she felt sorry for anyone in a scenario like this. Ardern did not reveal the date of their wedding, but was rumored to be imminent.
When asked by reporters how he felt about the cancellation of his marriage to longtime partner and fishing-show host Clark Gayford, Ardern replied: “Such is life.”
She said, “I am no different from, dare I say it, thousands of other New Zealanders who have felt the devastating effects of the pandemic, the most distressing of which is the inability to be with a loved one when they were are seriously ill. This would be far from any misery I’ve experienced.”
New Zealand’s borders are closed to foreigners since March 2020. The government pushed back plans for a phased reopening from mid-January to the end of February over concerns about a potential Omicron outbreak, as in neighboring Australia.
Those able to travel to New Zealand under narrow exceptions must apply to stay in state-managed quarantine facilities. The government stopped issuing any new slots last week amid an increase in the number of people coming to Omicron.
About 94% of New Zealand’s population over the age of 12 are fully vaccinated and about 56% have been given booster shots.
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