“Chris Hipkins is performing an absurd dance of the seven veils, announcing today the Government intends to reveal group by group to an expectant public who will get access to COVID-19 vaccine next,” says ACT Leader David Seymour.

“On Monday the Prime Minister said who would get vaccines and when would be a ‘rolling decision making programme.’

“Today Chris Hipkins described it as more like ‘a rolling maul.’

“I’ve always been of the view that if the Government has a plan, we deserve to know it, and if they don’t have a plan, we deserve to know that too.

“Now we have proof that Cabinet is making our vaccination programme up as it goes along, signing off different tiers of the population at every Monday Cabinet meeting and then holding a big reveal later in the week.

“I’m sure the 57,000 non border frontline health workers who got the nod today will be very pleased they’re following the 50,000 family contacts of border workers who make up phase two of the programme.

“Want to know which group is next? Tune in next week when Chris Hipkins will reveal whether you’ve won the vaccine lottery.

“This is insulting madness. The Government needs to start treating us like grownups.

“Let’s be clear, two months ago Australians were given the priority order that 17 different population and occupation groups would receive the vaccine in.

“They were then given access to an online tool that allowed them to put their age and occupation in and that revealed whether vaccination for their cohort had begun (and if so how to book in for a jab) and if it hadn’t begun when it was likely to begin, based on a coherent national rollout plan.

“We know from the revealing comments of Dr Ashley Bloomfield today is that Cabinet has updated Ministry of Health advice on the order vaccines should be delivered, but Chris Hipkins says the Government is preferring to make the announcements tier by tier.

“ACT outlined earlier today the minimum Chris Hipkins should have come to the table with on the rollout this afternoon.

“Why can’t this Government just be honest with us and give people the ability to plan their lives and businesses?”

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