Dawn Chorus: Border reopening in doubt
Hipkins to announce Cabinet decisions at 2pm; Partial relaxation of borders from Jan 17 in doubt as omicron runs rampant overseas; Australia sets urgent cabinet meeting; NSW cases at record high
TLDR: If you or your whanau had plans to come back to Aotearoa-NZ from Australia from Jan 17, then get ready to change them after 2pm today because of omicron.
MBIE put MIQ slot releases due for release at midday on hold last night ahead of announcements at 2pm. But those hoping for an earlier booster shot or to get their kids vaccinated earlier might be in luck.
Elsewhere in the news this morning;
The Waitangi Tribunal ruled Cabinet breached the Treaty by ignoring advice about vaccinating young Maori earlier;
Australia may delay its own reopenings and speed up booster shots in an emergency national cabinet meeting later today;
Global stocks and oil prices slumped this morning on fears omicron and Joe Manchin’s blockage in the US Senate of Joe Biden’s US$1.7t ‘Build Back Better’ plan will slow the global economic rebound; and,
See more scoops elsewhere this morning, charts and quotes of the day, comment of the day and some fun things below the paywall fold.
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