Warn Of More COVID-19 Variants Possibly, PM Ardern: It's Not Over, But It's Not Impossible

JAKARTA - The COVID-19 pandemic will not end with the Omicron variant, with Zealand having to prepare for more virus variants this year, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Tuesday in her first speech to the Zealand Parliament for 2022.

PM Ardern's warning came as hundreds of protesters gathered outside parliament in the capital Wellington, demanding an end to coronavirus restrictions and a vaccine mandate.

"Members of parliament, the advice from the experts is, Omicron won't be the last variant we're going to face this year," PM Ardern told lawmakers in a speech broadcast live.

"It's not over yet. But that doesn't mean we can't move forward. And keep making progress. And that's how we are."

PM Ardern's government has imposed some of New Zealand's toughest pandemic restrictions over the past two years, as the government tries to contain the coronavirus.

The policy helps keep infections and deaths low. With a population of around five million, New Zealand has so far had around 18.000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 53 deaths.

But it has also angered many who face endless home isolation, and the tens of thousands of New Zealand expats who have been cut off from family at home as the border remains closed. The measures have also crushed businesses that depend on international tourists.

PM Ardern's support rating plummeted in the latest 1News Kantar Public Poll released last month, as the public flagged her for delayed vaccination and removal of restrictions.

Hundreds of anti-vaccine mandates and anti-government protesters gathered outside parliament, demanding an end to all pandemic restrictions, part of a series of protests erupted in recent months.

Meanwhile, New Zealand's government last week said the country would gradually reopen its borders to the rest of the world only in October.

Omicron cases in the country have steadily increased since some social distancing measures were relaxed recently. New Zealand recorded its largest single-day number of cases with 243 cases as of Saturday.

PM Ardern told Radio New Zealand the peak of the country's Omicron could be in March, with daily cases ranging from 10.000 to 30.000.