Zizi Sparks: Why I think we should move to orange now

OPINION

I don't get this new traffic light system. I understand it, sure. I just don't get it.

There seems to be little difference between orange and red levels for those who are vaccinated.

A fortnight ago when the Government first announced what levels different areas would be at, I thought it was ridiculous Tauranga was at orange while Rotorua was at red. Our Covid-19 vaccination rates were comparable and Tauranga had more active cases.

Despite the differing levels, I easily travelled to Tauranga at the weekend for Christmas shopping.

Come December 30 when all of New Zealand but Northland is at orange, I'll also freely travel to Northland to visit family in the new year. To me, it seems there is little difference between the two for vaccinated people.

Either way, you can meet friends and whānau inside and outside, go shopping, access healthcare, attend school, gyms and travel. Either way, Covid-19 could spread and I believe it will.

I definitely don't want to go back to the more stringent alert levels 1 through 4 that contained us to our homes for much of the week but the thing about alert levels is travel between them was restricted.

To me this meant places at higher alert levels due to outbreaks were isolated and therefore outbreaks were contained.

But it was a hard slog - for Aucklanders especially - and I don't want to see us return to those restrictions.

Now it seems the Government is opening New Zealand up. Managed isolation and quarantine in hotels are being progressively scrapped, the traffic light system is in play and travel restrictions seem non-existent.

So I say the whole country should go to orange, and now.

In making the traffic light announcement on Monday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Cabinet considered vaccination rates, health system capacity and the status of the current outbreak.

She was right in saying "some will ultimately say this decision today feels right, some will say it's too slow, others too fast".

Many businesses queried why we had to wait another two weeks before the move. Brew co-owner Paul Croucher said operating the Rotorua bar at the red traffic light had been "fairly restrictive".

Rotorua Chamber of Commerce chief executive Bryce Heard said the delayed shift meant tourism and hospitality businesses would miss part of the "all-critical Christmas period".

When Rotorua eventually moves to orange, it will be almost a month after neighbouring Tauranga and parts of the Bay of Plenty District Health Board moved.

For them, orange was a relief after a "pretty terrible" two years.

Rotorua businesses and those elsewhere are begging for that relief. Auckland Business Chamber chief executive Michael Barnett said being stuck in red meant the country's biggest city would suffer a "summer of pain".

In my view people have had plenty of time to do their due diligence to protect themselves from Covid-19 with the Pfizer vaccine.

It is time to open up for good.