“The Government’s decision to put New Zealand back into Level 4 lockdown is incredibly disappointing and shows it only has one tool in the toolbox,” says ACT Leader David Seymour.
“Delta has been a gamechanger worldwide. We need to know if the Government has strengthened our defences in preparation for a Delta outbreak, since this has clearly been a risk for some time.
“The Government needs to be transparent about the performance of its contact tracing system. In past outbreaks it has been notoriously opaque. We must do better this time.
“Our low vaccination rates have left us a sitting duck.
“ACT sends our sympathies to those whose lives have been thrown into turmoil by this lockdown. We cannot underestimate the toll this takes on those receiving healthcare, business owners, school children and families.
“We are calling on the Government to bring back the Epidemic Response Committee. ACT will be here to make constructive criticisms where necessary and helpful suggestions where possible, while asking the questions New Zealanders need answered.
“The Government needs to communicate in a clear and timely manner, for example they should seek to announce Alert Level changes with notice, rather than with hours to spare as they did in the run up to the America's Cup.
“Our thoughts are with the person who has been diagnosed, we wish them a speedy recovery and we encourage New Zealanders to follow the rules.”