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David Clark confirmed Thursday that he resigned from his post as New Zealand’s minister of health.
New Zealand’s health minister resigned after criticism of the government’s response to the coronavirus and his own breaches of the blocking rules.
David Clark had already been demoted after breaking the rules to take his family to the beach.
He said continuing in his role distracted the government’s overall response to the pandemic.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern confirmed Thursday that she had accepted her resignation.
New Zealand has been hailed as a success story in tackling the coronavirus.
The country has registered 1,528 confirmed or probable cases of coronavirus and 22 people have died. Last month, all Covid-19 restrictions were lifted and the nation was declared virus-free.
However, the management of border and isolation facilities in the country has come under criticism recently. In one case, two people were allowed to leave isolation early to visit a dying father without being tested for the virus. They were later confirmed to have Covid-19.
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Clark said: “I take full responsibility for the decisions made and made during my time as Minister of Health.”
He said that now was the appropriate time to move on, with no evidence of community transmission in the country.
Clark was already under pressure after several breaches of the blocking rules. In April, he was demoted after driving his family 20 km (12 miles) to the beach during the first weekend of confinement.
He was also mountain biking during the lockdown, however, this was not as clear a violation of the rules as driving to the beach, the New Zealand Herald said.
He previously offered his resignation, but remained in his position due to the current crisis.
Ms. Ardern agreed with Clark’s decision to resign, saying it was “essential that our health leadership have the trust of the New Zealand public.”
Education Minister Chris Hipkins will take over the health department until the country’s elections in September.
