• New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins announced on Tuesday that a seven-day mandatory coronavirus quarantine period will be kept in place through the end of 2023 and possibly beyond.
• Hipkins said his Cabinet performed a “difficult balancing act” and had to “weigh a number of things quite carefully” before deciding to keep the quarantine policy for people who test positive for Wuhan coronavirus infection.
• David Seymour, leader of the ACT party, called it “a kind of Hermit Kingdom redux, 2023 edition, where Labor keeps treating adults like kids, and putting costs on the economy like money is no object.” The “Hermit Kingdom” is generally taken as a reference to North Korea.

Tagged: COVID-19