A US television host who mocked Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and ridiculed New Zealand's and Australia's COVID-19 responses has been condemned online.
Fox News political commentator and talk show host Tucker Carlson questioned how far US officials will go to enforce COVID-19 restrictions as "bad attitudes" accelerate.
"How far can they go? Well, for the answer, look to New Zealand, a famously placid outpost in the fast-shrinking Anglosphere. A single COVID case in New Zealand, not a death from COVID, but a case of COVID has shut down the entire country."
He expressed outrage that Ardern had asked New Zealanders to "don't talk to your neighbours, keep to your bubbles".
"Do you hear that? By the way, the lady with the teeth is very popular with people like (ex-CIA chief) Michael Hayden. She is considered super impressive, visionary really."
He then took aim at Australia's COVID-19 lockdown, questioning "What's the justification" for the lockdowns occurring in some states as they grapple with COVID-19 outbreaks.
"Nightly news in Australia now looks like a science fiction film," Carlson said.
"One recent report described a 27-year-old fugitive. Was he a mass killer? No. He had dared to venture outside of his apartment complex.
"For doing that, for leaving the building, the media showed surveillance footage of the man entering an elevator and then brace yourselves, sneezing without covering his face. There was no one else in the elevator at the time.
"For that, there is now a nationwide manhunt underway. An arrest warrant for this man has just been issued. We're not making this up."
Carlson said, "no one can stand back far enough to see the lunacy on display".
READ MORE
- Australian opposition Senator Kristina Keneally blames Scott Morrison for New Zealand Delta outbreak
- Jacinda Ardern - The Messiah, or just a crafty politician?
- Getting South Island to alert level 3 'not as simple as no positive cases'
- Covid-19 vaccine mistake in Auckland sparks investigation
The comments have been condemned by social media users who pointed out the reason the case numbers in both countries were low was because of the lockdowns.
"So it seems that Tucker Carlson has had a hissy fit about Australia’s and New Zealand’s attempts at curbing Delta," one person said.
"Australia doesn't need your commentary on its system. We've been living just fine until you've discovered us," one commenter wrote.
Another person commented: "Australia is Smart not lunatic. I Love my country, worry about the USA bro."
"I understand you had a dig at us Aussies & our cousins across the water in NZ re our covid response measures designed to stop the spread of covid while we try to vaccinate as many as possible. On behalf of us and all people with brains everywhere, go f**k yourself."
Others pointed out inaccuracies in the speech, including that all of Australia was in lockdown.
"Hey @TuckerCarlson ... get your facts straight you clown," another said.
New Zealand plunged into alert level four lockdown on the night of Tuesday, August 17 due to rising new community COVID-19 cases - the first alert level change in months.
The world reacted to the news with a mixture of surprise, praise and criticism.
UK far-right politician Nigel Farage weighed in on our lockdown on Twitter, saying "Jacinda Ardern has lost her marbles" and labelling New Zealand "the land of panic".
Scott Morrison also questioned New Zealand's response on Tuesday, saying following an elimination strategy with the Delta variant is absurd.
"Any state and territory that thinks that somehow they can protect themselves from COVID with the Delta strain forever, that's just absurd.
"New Zealand can't do that. They were following an elimination strategy. They're in lockdown. The way through is to get to those 70 percent and 80 percent marks (for vaccination) and open safely."
