“The Government is now either making it up as they go or completely detached from reality with its suggestion that people will need to book a slot to get through checkpoints heading out of Auckland,” says ACT Leader David Seymour.

“Chris Hipkins’ suggestion is the Government’s most unworkable idea yet, a mix between Muldoon’s carless days in reverse and the internal borders of a police state.

“It is impractical to check every car leaving Auckland for vaccine status, even if it was desirable to have internal borders all summer. The queues and pressure on Police time are unworkable, and the suggestion the Government might allocate times for people to move simply brings the absurdity into sharp relief.

“The suggestion only underlines how incompatible internal borders are with life returning to normal. It completely undermines the promise of summer festivals for youth who get vaccinated. It undermines the promise that interregional travel will be possible once the traffic light system is in place.

“Worst of all is the uncertainty being created by the Government, with one random suggestion after another leading to increasing anxiety in the community.

“We were promised a transition to the traffic light system with a corresponding end to restrictions on interregional travel at 90 per cent vaccination. Now, the Government says there won’t be free travel even by Christmas before the vaccination levels in December are known.

“The Government needs to start thinking about people’s livelihoods and freedoms alongside its conservative approach to public health, before it loses the room completely.


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