Former New Zealand COVID-19 Response Minister Regrets Not Ending Lockdowns Earlier

Former Minister for COVID-19 Response Chris Hipkins speaks to the media during a post-cabinet press conference at Parliament, in Wellington, New Zealand, on June 28, 2021, Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images

New Zealand’s former COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins expressed regret over the length of lockdowns in Auckland that started in August 2021 and lasted for over three months.

Speaking to TVNZ Q + A, Hipkins said if the government had known the information that it knows now, one of the things that it would have done differently is scaling down restrictions faster.