“The Government’s decision to ease restrictions in Auckland is welcome, but lockdowns are an unsustainable long-term strategy,” says ACT Leader David Seymour.

“Auckland has been under Covid-19 restrictions for almost two months because the Government couldn’t trace and isolate the current outbreak.

“If the Government had engaged the private sector and used Bluetooth technology, as ACT has been calling for for months, it’s likely that it would have been able to trace and isolate the latest outbreak, and lift restrictions, much more quickly.

“It is not affordable to continue with rolling lockdowns. We’ve lost sight of the many costs imposed by lockdowns. Being free of Covid-19 is just one element of wellbeing.

“We also have to consider the mental health of small business owners, non-Covid healthcare such as missed elective surgeries, the financial costs of restrictions, and the uncertainty for households and businesses.

“Instead of comparing us with the worst, the next government needs to learn from the best – countries like Taiwan.

“The virus isn’t going anywhere. We need to adapt and get much smarter on Covid-19 so we can tackle the virus without lockdowns.

“ACT would establish an Epidemic Response Centre for a coordinated response, treat different countries and travellers based on risk, and have a tech-driven response using the best innovations.

“A Party Vote for ACT is a vote for a much smarter approach to Covid-19.”

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