Hone Harawira says the government's ‘traffic light’ plan isn’t good enough.
“Keep the traffic lights on red, design a Level 5 and take Auckland back there, then tighten up the borders," he demanded.
The former politician says now is not the time to be thinking about picnics or amber lights.
“Let’s go hard, nail this b**** and plan for a decent Christmas.”
New Covid-19 cases reached a new high today. There are 129 community cases, nine are in Waikato, with the rest in Auckland. It coincides with the government’s traffic light system aimed at moving the country to some sort of normaility.
But Harawira is calling the situation "Delta's Nightmare Dawn for Māori" and says if the virus can’t be controlled the future will be bleak for Māori.
"If this gets away on us, Māori will have massive exposure, and a death rate more than 4 times that of the rest of the population," claimed Harawira.
Less than 50% of eligible Māori are fully vaccinated and Harawira says now is not the time to ease any restrictions.
"In low socio-economic areas like Te Tai Tokerau, we lack access to resources and an inequitable health system. Māori suffer disproportionately from weakened immune systems, liver, kidney, and heart disease, cancer and diabetes. This is where Delta does its greatest damage," said Harawira.