Covid 19 Omicron outbreak: Supply-chain disruption 'inevitable', but work is under way to reduce impact - Finance Minister

The Government was working closely with the supermarkets and supply-chain and logistics sectors to ensure there are no supply issues, and supermarket shelves remain stocked, he said.

 

He reiterated there is no need for anyone to panic buy as supermarkets will remain open.

 

New Zealand has one of the strongest financial positions in the world and our government accounts continue to outperform forecasts and this gives us the fiscal headroom to meet the costs of Omicron.

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The outbreak has also forced the prime minister to cancel her wedding to Clarke Gayford, which was due to take place in the coming weeks at Gisborne on the North Island's eastern coast.

 

Asked about her wedding cancellation, Ardern said: "Such is life. I am no different to 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're gravely ill. That will far, far outstrip any sadness I experience.

 

We are all so resilient and I know we understand we are doing this for one another, and it will help us carry on.

 

There had been several cases of Omicron among workers at the border and in managed isolation and quarantine over the past week. Sunday's announcement suggests those border-linked cases have crossed over to the wider community. 

 

On Thursday, Ardern told New Zealanders that the variant's wider emergence was only a matter of time. "We won't stop Omicron, but we can try and slow it down," she said.