New Zealand demotes minister for coronavirus lockdown breach, extends emergency Follow the latest news on coronavirus with our live blog:
SYDNEY - New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Tuesday she had rejected her health minister’s offer to resign for breaching nationwide lockdown rules as doing so would jeopardise plans to slow the spread of the new coronavirus.
Health Minister David Clark drove his family to the beach in the early stages of the lockdown, flouting social distancing rules, the prime minister said. Instead, Ardern said she had demoted Clark to the bottom of cabinet rankings and stripped him of his role as associate finance minister.Clark said in a statement that he had been “an idiot, and I understand why people will be angry with me”.
On Tuesday, it also extended for a second time the state of national emergency for a further seven days.
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