An epidemiologist is questioning if New Zealand should ever go to the green COVID-19 traffic light setting, saying it may be too risky.
All of New Zealand except Northland will be in the orange setting from December 30, the Government announced on Monday. It means Auckland and several other regions will emerge from the most restrictive red setting in time for the New Year.
Those red restrictions will ease largely due to Auckland's high COVID-19 vaccination rates.
Auckland, the epicentre of New Zealand's Delta outbreak, emerged from months of lockdown earlier this month while most of the rest of the country remained COVID-free.
A move to green would signify the freedom many New Zealanders have been holding out for since the Delta outbreak emerged in August. The move wouldn't change anything for vaccinated people - although it would allow hospitality venues to have more people through their doors should they decide not to use jab passes.
"The traffic light system gives additional freedoms and safety to people who are vaccinated - I went to a cafe for the first time in months the other day and I went in there confident that everybody in that cafe was vaccinated," epidemiologist Rod Jackson told RNZ's Morning Report.
"Look, 2022 is going to be messy for the world. I think it's going to be less messy for us - we've got our timing perfect."
Dr Jackson, from the University of Auckland, said New Zealand got its timing perfect - but told Morning Report people to remember "this is the worst public health crisis in 100 years".
"I'm not sure we should ever go green," he said.
"It's all about safety."
The Opposition disagrees, questioning why the likes of the South Island - which has been largely COVID-free throughout the Delta outbreak, isn't already at the green setting.
"What's the point in having criteria if you're not going to follow them? According to the Government’s own rules, Auckland should be in orange and the South Island should be in green," ACT Party leader David Seymour said on Facebook.
"The Government needs to stop making it up as it goes along and follow its own rules."
But the decision to keep the majority of New Zealand at orange was made based on "the range of advice, views, risks and opportunities of all the relevant levels", Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said.
"It means vaccine passes will be in use up and down the country, as well as masks and other public health measures that are designed to keep us safe during this time of change," she told reporters on Monday.
Dr Jackson said those aspects as well as booster jabs and vaccinating 5 to 11-year-olds will set New Zealand up "to have the least messy 2022".
"I think we've got a good chance of getting through this better than the rest of the world," he told RNZ.
The traffic light system's settings will next be reviewed on January 17.
