Jacinda’s lockdown

The Herald reports:

Auckland boundary restrictions should have already been lifted and the whole country, bar Auckland and Northland, should be in the orange setting, according to previously unreleased public health advice.

The Ministry of Health also initially thought some regions should start in green – though this was later revised due to the spread of Delta – despite its concerns that starting the traffic light system in early December could put vulnerable Māori at greater risk.

This should destroy the myth that the Government is simply following the scientific advice. The scientific advice was that many regions should be green, and some of the red regions should be orange – plus that the Auckland boundary should have gone by now.

It was Jacinda’s personal decision to over-ride the advice and keep restrictions going for longer than deemed necessary.