New Zealand on Monday abandoned its strategy of eliminating coronavirus amid a persistent Delta outbreak, and will instead look to live with the virus and control its spread as vaccinations rise.
The Pacific nation was among just a handful of countries to bring COVID-19 cases down to zero last year and largely stayed virus-free until an outbreak of the high infections Delta variant in mid-August frustrated efforts to stamp out transmission, reports Reuters.
"With this outbreak and Delta the return to zero is incredibly difficult," Ardern told a news conference.
"This is a change in approach we were always going to make over time. Our Delta outbreak has accelerated this transition. Vaccines will support it," she said.
Ardern said a lockdown affecting 1.7 million people in the biggest city Auckland will be scaled back in phases, with some freedoms introduced from Wednesday.
The change of direction came as the country recorded 29 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, taking the total number in the current outbreak to 1,357. Most cases are in Auckland, which has been in lockdown for nearly 50 days.
Amid mounting pressure, Ardern has said her strategy was never to have zero cases, but to aggressively stamp out the virus. She said strict lockdowns will end once 90 per cent of the eligible population is vaccinated.
About two million New Zealanders have so far been fully vaccinated, or about 48 per cent of the eligible population.
Ardern said the Delta variant felt like "a tentacle that has been incredibly hard to shake".
"It's clear that a long period of heavy restrictions has not got us to zero cases. But its ok ... elimination was important because we didn't have vaccinations. Now we do. So we can begin to change the way we do things," she said.
People in Auckland will be able to leave their homes to connect with loved ones outdoors from Wednesday, with a limit of 10 people. People can go to beaches and parks, and also go hunting, Ardern said.
Aucklanders turned to social media after the announcement, with many cheering the decision while others expressed concern.
"I think if we'd been at 1-2 unlinked cases a day and/or no infections in the community and no spread outside Auckland (and higher vaccination) I'd be cheering right now," one Aucklander said on Twitter.
Political parties on both sides slammed the move.
"Jacinda Ardern has no answers to problems that she and her Government promised us were under control. The situation is now, very clearly, out of control and worsening every day," Opposition National Party leader Judith Collins said in a statement.
Ardern's Labour Party coalition partner, Greens, said the move put the safety of vulnerable communities and children at risk.