Travellers to New Zealand will no longer need to isolate
PTI, Feb 28, 2022, 12:26 PM IST
New Zealand is ending a requirement that incoming travellers isolate themselves as it continues to remove coronavirus border protections in the face of a growing domestic outbreak.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Monday said the requirement that vaccinated travellers isolate for a week after arriving would end on Wednesday. Initially the changes will apply only to returning New Zealanders, as tourists are still not allowed to visit.
Travellers will still need to test negative for the virus before leaving and after arriving.
“I know this will be welcome news to the members of our team overseas, eager to travel home to see loved ones as soon as possible,” Ardern said. “We can’t wait to see you.” The changes were welcomed by the tourism industry, although leaders wanted more certainty over when tourists could return. International tourism used to account for about 20% of New Zealand’s foreign income but has evaporated since the pandemic began.
Ardern said Monday her Cabinet was considering fully reopening the borders to tourists sooner than the current scheduled date of July for Australians and October for those from elsewhere in the world.
Earlier this month, the government announced it was ending the requirement that most incoming travellers spend time in quarantine hotel rooms run by the military. For now, that requirement remains for unvaccinated travellers.
New Zealand enacted some of the world’s strictest border controls when the pandemic began. The measures were initially credited with saving thousands of lives and allowed New Zealand to eliminate or contain several outbreaks.
But the controls have increasingly been viewed as out-of-step in a world where the virus is becoming endemic, and in a country where it is now spreading rapidly.
New Zealand has been recording about 15,000 cases of COVID-19 per day, up from 2,000 just 10 days ago as an outbreak of the omicron variant spreads.
Some political opponents of Ardern have long called for a loosening of border restrictions and welcomed the move, although they said it should also apply immediately to tourists.
Udayavani is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel and stay updated with the latest news.
Top News
Related Articles More
China says talks on Tibet only with Dalai Lama’s representatives; rules out dialogue on autonomy
Indian-origin man shot, killed by San Antonio police amid attempts to apprehend him
2 Indian restaurants in Colorado duped investors of USD 380K: Officials
WATCH: 5 runaway military horses cause mayhem in London
Don’t blame Dubai’s freak rain on cloud seeding
MUST WATCH
Latest Additions
Patanjali Foods to evaluate proposal to buy Patanjali Ayurved’s non-food business
Congress to discuss candidates for Amethi, Raebareli seats on Saturday
BJP’s CT Ravi Booked for Promoting Hatred and Enmity Through Social Media Post
Elections held in 14 LS segments in Karnataka, voter turnout nearly 64 per cent till 5 pm
‘PM is scared, may even shed tears on stage’: Rahul Gandhi’s fresh salvo at Modi