The Government is facing backlash over its decision to drop vaccine mandates and its COVID-19 protection framework.
Nurses and public health experts are feeling blindsided by the move and even the public isn't ready for it.
Masks may no longer be mandatory on public transport but passengers are still opting to cover up.
"Makes me feel a lot safer, especially on public transport. I'm keeping mine on for a wee bit," one person told Newshub.
Ditching masks on public transport and in supermarkets has left some feeling nervous.
"I was a little hesitant I would have to say. It would be a really good idea to keep on with them, particularly for people like me who are immunocompromised," one person said.
Some bus drivers agree.
"Bus drivers will feel more protected if passengers wear masks," bus driver Gurdeep said.
They want plastic barriers to protect them.
"So they don't get any sicknesses and also prevents any assaults as well," Gurdeep said.
And if you're flying into New Zealand, vaccinations and tests on arrival are no longer legally required - raising the risk of new COVID-19 variants sneaking in.
"We might not know that new variants have arisen, that is definitely a concern," University of Auckland infectious disease expert Prof Siouxsie Wiles said.
Warning that scrapping restrictions could be a big, expensive mistake - with further waves of the virus likely, and no plan in sight.
"I'm disappointed that I haven't seen anything on how we are doing to deal with this going forward," Prof Wiles said.
A feeling the nursing workforce shares.
"The mandates need to stay, this is huge, this is significant and we've got a workforce in crisis," Nurses Organisation (NZNO) kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku said.
"There was no longer that grounds to maintain the mandate, given the high rates of vaccination but also given the amount of covid people have experienced," Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said.
But while COVID case numbers might be dropping, the workload for hospitals isn't.
Emergency departments around the country are still under massive pressure, the sector is worried about how it'll cope with future surges in cases.
"We've got a workforce that's already depleted so our ability to respond in a timely way is going to be a major concern," Nuku said.
A concern they're hoping the Government hears.
