Covid 19 Omicron: Piers Morgan slams Jacinda Ardern over red light settings

Controversial TV host Piers Morgan has criticised the Government's measures to slow the spread of Omicron, as the country moves to red light settings.

Morgan called New Zealand's red light settings "draconian" and criticised Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern for cancelling her wedding.

Following Ardern's announcement that the country would be moving into the red light setting today, and that she had cancelled her wedding for that reason, Morgan took to social media to give his opinion on the matter.

"Given over 90% of New Zealand's eligible population has had at least 2 doses of covid vaccine, and Omicron is indisputably a significantly less severe strain of the virus, I'm not sure why Jacinda Ardern is implementing draconian new restrictions & cancelling her wedding?" the former Good Morning Britain presenter wrote on Twitter.

Given over 90% of New Zealand’s eligible population has had at least 2 doses of covid vaccine, and Omicron is indisputably a significantly less severe strain of the virus, I’m not sure why Jacinda Ardern is implementing draconian new restrictions & cancelling her wedding?

— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) January 23, 2022

Under the red light settings, events and gatherings such as weddings are limited to 100 people, with vaccine passes, or 25 people if vaccine passes are not required.

The Prime Minister announced the wedding wouldn't go head during her press conference on Omicron on Sunday morning.

Ardern and Gayford, who have daughter Neve, were planning to get married this summer in Gisborne.

"When it comes to events, whether it's a birthday or a wedding or any kind of event of that nature, gathering limits of 100 do come in with the red light setting at 11.59pm tonight," Ardern said.

"It will depend on the nature of the event and if they are using vaccine passes - if they are not, it reduces to 25 people.

"As for mine, my wedding won't be going ahead but I just join many other New Zealanders who have had an experience like that as a result of the pandemic. And to anyone caught up in that scenario, I am so sorry, but we are all so resilient and I know we understand we are doing this for one another and it will help us carry on."

The PM was asked how she felt: "Such is life. I am no different to, dare I say, thousands of other New Zealanders."

Morgan has not always been against Ardern's measures when it comes to the pandemic.

In 2020, he went as far as saying he "wished" the UK had a leader like the New Zealand Prime Minister.