Prime Minister Jacinda Arden of Additional Zealand has postponed her wedding as the country implements new regulations to slow the spread of the COVID-19 Omicron strain in the community, she told reporters on Sunday.

From midnight on Sunday, New Zealand will enforce mask laws and restrict gathering after a cluster of nine COVID-19 Omicron cases revealed community spread from the North to the South islands following a wedding.

After attending a wedding and other celebrations in Auckland, New Zealand's North Island, a family flew back to Nelson on the South Island. The family and a flight attendant were both positive +for the virus.

New Zealand's COVID-19 protection system will be upgraded to a red level, requiring increased mask use. Indoor hospitality establishments such as pubs and restaurants and special events such as weddings will be limited to 100 persons. If venues do not use immunization passes, the restriction is reduced to 25, Arden explained.

"My wedding will not be going ahead," she told reporters, adding that she was sorry for anyone who had been involved in a similar situation. Ardern had not confirmed her wedding date, but it was widely speculated to be soon.

When reporters inquired about Ardern's reaction to the cancellation of her wedding to longtime lover and fishing program host Clarke Gayford, Ardern responded, "Such is life."

She continued, "I am no different from hundreds of other New Zealanders who have felt the pandemic's far more severe effects, the most heartbreaking of which is the inability to be with a loved one when they are gravely ill. That will far outweigh any sadness I feel."

Since March 2020, New Zealand's borders have been closed to immigrants. The government postponed plans for a phased reopening from mid-January to the end of February, citing concerns about a possible Omicron outbreak similar to that in neighboring Australia.

Individuals permitted to go to New Zealand under specific circumstances must apply to remain in state-managed quarantine facilities. The administration ceased releasing new slots last week in response to an increase in the number of persons arriving via Omicron.

Around 94 percent of the population over the age of 12 in New Zealand is completely vaccinated, and approximately 56 percent of those eligible have received booster injections.