Covid-19: Minister Chris Hipkins says Taiwan 'is not itself authoritarian' after making claim about mask use

Minister Chris Hipkins has clarified his claim that Taiwanࢀ™s ࢀœauthoritarian approach” meant the nation required widespread mask wearing earlier than New Zealand. Hipkins, appearing on RNZࢀ™s Morning Report on Tuesday, was asked about Cabinetࢀ™s decision to require masks on planes and public transport in Auckland, and why the decision came months after first advised by experts. ࢀœWe weigh up a variety of different factors in this, including the degree public goodwill towards those measures, the likelihood of compliance,ࢀ Hipkins said. ࢀœSome of the countries that we get compared with have much more authoritarian regimes than New Zealand. So if you…