New Zealand PM "cancels her own wedding" due to new COVID restrictions

The implementation of new Covid-19 regulations has prompted New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to postpone her own wedding.

After nine cases of the omicron type were discovered in a single family who flew to Auckland for a wedding earlier this month, Ardern said stricter rules were needed.

The prime minister's wedding was supposed to take place next weekend, but it has been postponed.

"I'm just joining many other New Zealanders who have had similar experiences as a result of the epidemic, and I'm really sorry to anyone who has been caught up in that scenario," she said.

The "red setting" of the country's pandemic response includes more stringent measures such as mask requirements and gathering limitations, which will take effect on Monday.

PM Ardern emphasised that "red" does not mean "lockdown," and that people can still visit family and friends and travel freely across the nation.

"Our plan for addressing omicron cases in the early stages remains the same as delta," the Prime Minister told reporters in Wellington on Sunday.

"We will promptly test, contact trace, and isolate cases and contacts in order to slow the spread."

New Zealand has been one of the few countries to stay free of omicron outbreaks, but Ardern admitted last week that given the variant's high transmissibility, an outbreak was unavoidable.

With an average of around 20 new cases per day, the country has managed to restrict the spread of the delta form. However, it has seen an increase in the number of people contaminated with omicron arriving in the nation and being placed in obligatory quarantine.

This has put a burden on the quarantine system, prompting the government to restrict entry for returning nationals while it considers what to do about reopening the country's borders, angering many New Zealanders who want to return.