New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Arden has cancelled her wedding as the nation imposes new restrictions to slow the community spread of the Covid-19 Omicron variant. “My wedding will not be going ahead,” she told reporters, adding she was sorry for anyone caught up in a similar scenario. Though Ardern had not disclosed her wedding date, it was rumoured to be in January.
Her long-time partner Clarke Gayford is a television presenter. The couple first met in 2012 when they were introduced by a mutual friend. In May 2019, it was reported that Ardern was engaged to be married to Gayford. The wedding was scheduled for January 2022.
In June 2018, the couple welcomed their first child together.
New Zealand will move to a red setting under its Covid-19 protection framework, with more mask-wearing. Indoor hospitality settings such as bars and restaurants and events like weddings will be capped at 100 people. The limit is lowered to 25 people if venues are not using vaccine passes, Arden said.
Asked by reporters how she felt about the cancellation of her wedding to longtime partner and fishing-show host Clarke Gayford, Ardern replied: “Such is life. I am no different to, dare I say it, thousands of other New Zealanders who have had much more devastating impacts felt by the pandemic, the most gutting of which is the inability to be with a loved one sometimes when they are gravely ill. That will far, far outstrip any sadness I experience.”
New Zealand’s borders have been shut to foreigners since March 2020. The government pushed back plans for a phased reopening from mid-January to the end of February out of concern about a potential Omicron outbreak as in neighbouring Australia.
People able to travel to New Zealand under narrow exceptions must apply to stay at state-managed quarantine facilities. The government last week stopped issuing any new slots amid a surge in the number of people arriving with Omicron. About 94% of New Zealand’s population over the age of 12 is fully vaccinated and about 56% of those eligible have had booster shots.
