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New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern Cancels Wedding Amid COVID Surge

The prime minister made the announcement as she announced new restrictions due to a rise in Omicron cases.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is postponing her wedding to her long-time partner Clarke Gayford, due to new COVID-19 restrictions. The popular leader made the announcement Sunday as she laid out a string of new rules, including caps on the number of vaccinated people who can attend events and mandatory mask-wearing. New Zealand, which has been one of the world’s best examples of how to mitigate COVID-19, recorded 15,104 new cases and 52 deaths on Saturday, leading to the new constraints. “I am no different to, dare I say it, thousands of other New Zealanders who have had much more devastating impacts felt by the pandemic, the most gutting of which is the inability to be with a loved one sometimes when they are gravely ill,” she said. “That will far, far outstrip any sadness I experience.”