Covid 19 Omicron outbreak: Billie Eilish's brother Finneas praises Jacinda Ardern's pandemic response

Finneas and Billie Eilish. Photo / Getty Images

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has received praise from a high-profile musician for her pandemic response.

Finneas O'Connell, the brother of superstar singer Billie Eilish, took to Twitter to share how inspired he felt by Ardern.

"Watching Jacinda Ardern govern NZ over the past 22 months has been one of the few things that has truly inspired me and made me feel hopeful about the future." he shared.

The response to O'Connell's sentiment was mixed - with some New Zealanders in the replies echoing the musician's feelings.

"THAT'S MY PRIME MINISTER" One fan wrote.

Others were more critical of Ardern's approach to tackling the Omicron outbreak. All of Aotearoa is currently in the red traffic light setting.

Watching Jacinda Ardern govern NZ over the past 22 months has been one of the few things that has truly inspired me and made me feel hopeful about the future.

— FINNEAS (@finneas) January 23, 2022

"I don't think eliminating Omicron by restrictions is really an option," a follower argued.

"But up until now, we have, & those restrictions, although full-on at times have afforded us good health & freedoms far greater than most western nations," a person replied.

O'Connell's tweet attracted over 3000 likes.

Finneas isn't the only star to praise Ardern's pandemic response recently.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt temporarily relocated to Aotearoa in 2020, and told ZM's Fletch, Vaughan, and Megan that he "can't say enough good things about our time here in New Zealand."

"I'm a big Jacinda fan for sure," he confessed to regularly watching her late-night Facebook lives.

The actor spoke to US talk show host Jimmy Fallon in April 2021 and shared his praises for New Zealand on the world stage.

The star revealed his children were enrolled in school in New Zealand and that he was been blown away by Kiwis' hard work in keeping Covid-19 out of the country.

"It's the morning; I just dropped off my boy at school," he told Jimmy Fallon, something at the time children around the US had not experienced for months.

"Man it's good, I feel so lucky. I almost feel guilty talking about it sometimes. If you don't know, New Zealand is one of only two countries in the world that has contained the pandemic."