New Zealand gives up the opening ceremony

Paul Roget, Media365: Posted on Tuesday, August 24, 2021 at 9:45 a.m.

The New Zealand delegation decided not to participate in the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Paralympics, due to concerns related to Covid-19.

The opening ceremony of the Tokyo Paralympics will begin at 1 pm (French time, 8 pm in Japan). A ceremony attended by 161 delegates, not 162 as was scheduled. Because New Zealand has announced its willingness not to participate due to concerns about Covid-19, which is affecting the archipelago severely. “As the opening ceremony is taking place tomorrow night, we wanted to announce that our team will not attend, to continue to adhere to our rules and guidelines on Covid-19, which are aimed at keeping our team as safe as possible.” And Monday, the New Zealand delegation via a statement posted on Facebook.

“Zero Covid” strategy is threatened

New Zealand had announced a few hours earlier that national containment would continue until August 27. The restrictions will remain in Auckland, the epicenter of the epidemic, until at least August 31. The “zero-Covid” strategy for the country of five million people, where the epidemic has killed 26 people, is threatened by a delta-variable spread. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said: “Delta is one step ahead of us and we had to confront it as quickly as possible. We don’t think we have reached the peak of the outbreak.” The safest option for all of us is to stay on the track longer. If the situation in the world teaches us anything, you should be careful with this variant of Covid-19.Meanwhile, Japan has been affected by an unprecedented wave of contamination with Covid-19.