New Zealand Health Minister Resigns After Violating COVID-19 Lockdown Order

In April, Violated Lockdown for Family Outing...Facing Public Criticism
Amid Severe COVID-19 Situation, Remained in Office Until Now...Prime Minister Also Accepted Resignation

David Clark, New Zealand Minister of Health [Image source=https://twitter.com/davidclarknz]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The New Zealand Minister of Health, who had been criticized for violating the New Zealand government's lockdown measures related to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) by going on an outing with his family over the weekend, has reportedly resigned.

According to foreign media including the BBC, on the 2nd, David Clark, New Zealand's Minister of Health, resigned, and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern accepted his resignation. Minister Clark stated the reason for his resignation, saying, "My performance as a minister is negatively affecting the public's response to the government's epidemic measures." Earlier, after a nationwide lockdown was imposed in New Zealand on April 25, he was reported to have gone mountain biking over the weekend or taken a drive with his family to the beach, drawing criticism from the media.

He initially did not admit or apologize even after his actions were revealed in photos, which escalated the issue. Eventually, Prime Minister Ardern stripped him of his concurrent position as Deputy Minister of Finance and demoted him to the lowest rank among cabinet ministers. In an earlier interview with New Zealand media, Ardern said, "Under normal circumstances, I would have dismissed him, but fighting COVID-19 is the top priority, and we cannot afford confusion in the health sector," and thus retained him in office.

New Zealand had declared itself virus-free and lifted all lockdowns since last month, earning the reputation of a COVID-19 clean country. However, on the 16th of last month, two women arriving from the United Kingdom tested positive, causing New Zealand to lose its clean country status just 24 days after lifting the lockdown. According to the COVID-19 tally by Johns Hopkins University in the United States, the total confirmed COVID-19 cases in New Zealand until then were 1,506, with 22 deaths.