Auckland lockdown to end as New Zealand tries new virus tack

By NICK PERRY
Associated Press

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Bars, restaurants and gyms can reopen in Auckland from early December but customers will be required to show proof they’ve been fully vaccinated. The New Zealand government announcement removes the last remnants of a lockdown that began in the nation’s largest city in August. It also signals a new phase in New Zealand’s response to the pandemic, in which people around the country will need to be fully vaccinated in order to participate in anything from getting a haircut to watching a concert. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says the nation will move into a new pandemic “traffic light” system based around the use of vaccine passports from late on Dec. 2.