The protesters, most of whom were not wearing face coverings, marched through Wellington in New Zealand.
Thousands of people marched in New Zealand’s capital, Wellington, on Thursday to protest against the mandatory and discontinued supply of a COVID-19 vaccine, as the country has reached the 90% mark of fully immunized.
New Zealand’s tough containment and vaccinations have helped keep coronavirus cases and related deaths low, but it has also drawn criticism from some calling for more freedom and put an end to mandatory vaccine requirements.
The government has made it mandatory to vaccinate teachers, health and disability workers, police and other public service sectors.
The protesters, most of whom were not covered, marched through Wellington’s central business district and gathered in front of the parliament building, known as the Beehive.
Security was beefed up at Beehive with entrances closed and dozens of police deployed.
Some at the peaceful rally held placards with messages such as “Freedom overcomes fear”, “lockdown destroys life” and “Kiwi is not a lab rat”. Others had signs with the slogan “Make America Great Again” by former US President Donald Trump.
Under growing pressure, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern eased most restrictions ahead of the Christmas break, abandoning her longstanding strategy of eliminating the coronavirus for a new system of “traffic lights” to live on. with the virus through higher vaccination.
The South Pacific island nation’s international borders remain closed to the outside world and will only be gradually opened from next year.
The government says 90% of New Zealand’s eligible population, or about 3.8 million people, is fully vaccinated.
Meanwhile, health regulators have temporarily licensed Pfizer Inc’s COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5 to 11 years.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and was automatically generated from the feed provided.)
