“Jacinda Ardern has failed to explain in Parliament why we need to continue with MIQ,” says ACT Leader David Seymour.

“I asked her today whether she agrees with Professors Michael Baker and Nick Wilson that a person from overseas who’s fully vaccinated and negative tested poses less danger of passing on COVID than someone already at a supermarket in Auckland.

“Jacinda said it might make sense to allow people into Auckland, but there would have to be a hard border around Auckland if that was the case. Except Jacinda also announced today that her Government is dropping the Auckland border.

“There’s a logical problem here. If it’s safe for Aucklanders to leave Auckland, and new arrivals are less of a threat than people already in Auckland, then it must be safer for fully vaccinated and negative tested arrivals to leave Auckland.

“Jacinda claims foreign arrivals ‘seed’ new cases. The thing is, they’re less likely to ‘seed’ a case than people already here. Why should people who are less of a threat be the ones who suffer separation from their own country? It’s time to be kind and let New Zealanders come home to their own country.

“As well as ditching MIQ, she needs to just give us a date for the introduction of the traffic light system. ACT has always said December 1st should be Freedom Day."

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