New Zealand is to begin reopening its borders in stages, but it won’t be open to everyone for many months yet, prime minister Jacinda Ardern has announced.
Here are the dates she set out:
• 27 February – New Zealanders can travel quarantine-free from Australia
• 13 March – doors open for citizens arriving from elsewhere in the world plus some vaccinated skilled workers and backpackers, all quarantine free
• 12 April – up to 5,000 international students will be allowed to enter
• No later than July, the country is expected to open up to non-citizens from visa-waiver countries, including Australia, the USA and the UK
• The rest of the world won’t be invited to visit New Zealand until October when Ms Ardern intends to fully open the country’s borders
Ms Ardern said MIQ (managed isolation and quarantine) would remain for “high risk travellers such as those who are unvaccinated”.
It will slowly be turned into a new National Quarantine Service.
The prime minister defended the restrictions on entry, which have lasted for almost two years,
“The anguish of MIQ has been real and heart-breaking,” she said. “But the choice to use it undeniably saved lives.”
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