National welcomes today’s announcement that vaccine passes and scanning requirements will be abolished, outdoor gathering limits will be scrapped and some vaccine mandates will be phased out, says National’s Covid-19 Response spokesperson Chris Bishop.

“The Government has finally caught up with reality, which is that Omicron has changed the game and the tools that worked against Delta are now putting unjustified limits on people’s lives and sowing division and discrimination.

“There is very little point in vaccine passes anymore and it’s good they’re finally being abolished.

“The end of the vaccine pass system does call into question the relevancy of the Government’s Traffic Light Framework, which has vaccine passes at its heart.

“The Government would be better to ditch the whole thing and create some simple rules around masks and perhaps venue limits, rather than persist with a complicated colour-code system that has never been used properly and that barely anyone understands.

“This smacks of a Government that is simply unwilling to cede control and let New Zealanders get on with things.

“While today’s mandate announcements are positive, the Government should also signal a timeline for abolishing the remaining mandates.

“Kiwis have done the right thing – 95 per cent of us are double vaccinated and over 70 per cent of the eligible population is boosted.

“After two tough years, it’s time to get back to normality and start thinking positively about the future.”