Confident, optimistic, anxious: New Zealand readers tell us how they feel about Omicron

Kiwis are experiencing a range of emotions over the expected surge in Covid cases, from resignation to relief, trepidation to fear

This week we asked Guardian New Zealand readers about the arrival of Omicron and how they are feeling and preparing. Hundreds of New Zealanders wrote in, about their hopes and anxieties, preparations and frustrations, confidence and worries.

The country has spent almost two years relatively sheltered from the pandemic's worst effects, and many said they felt some trepidation at the prospect of widespread Covid, and the threat it could pose to the country's small health system, as well as its immunocompromised or under-vaccinated communities. Some were concerned about divisions the pandemic had produced: between the vaccinated and unvaccinated, those inside the border and those locked out.