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New Zealand PM Declares Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy, 'Essential Workers' 


FILE - Neighbors chat across a stream as they practice social distancing in a suburb of Christchurch, New Zealand, Apr. 5, 2020.
FILE - Neighbors chat across a stream as they practice social distancing in a suburb of Christchurch, New Zealand, Apr. 5, 2020.

New Zealand’s Prime Minister has announced the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny are “essential workers,” allowing them to do their jobs despite national lockdown rules due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Speaking at a news briefing in Wellington, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Monday that while the two mythical characters would be free to make their rounds, she cautioned they will be extremely busy and might not make it to every household.

She encouraged families to help all children by drawing an Easter egg putting it in the window for other children to “find” while out on their daily exercises.

New Zealand has already embraced an international trend of putting teddy bears in the window for children to spot as they go for walks. Ardern suggested families put their Easter egg drawings next to the bears.

The south Pacific nation remains in lockdown as part of an effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus, closing most businesses and limiting outside activities to daily exercise and performing essential duties.

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