New Zealand removes most remaining COVID rules as cases wane

By NICK PERRY
Associated Press

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand is removing most of its remaining COVID-19 restrictions as the government signals a return to normalcy for the first time since the pandemic began. People will no longer be required to wear masks in supermarkets, stores, busses or planes. The last remaining vaccine mandates — on health care workers — will end. And tourists will no longer need to be vaccinated in order to visit the country. New Zealand enjoyed initial success in fighting the pandemic, managing to eliminate the virus entirely after closing its borders and carefully contact-tracing cases. But its approach changed as more transmissible variants proved impossible to stamp out. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says the changes will help drive business activity, which is vital to the economic recovery.