Travel advisors’ clients can now start making plans to once again visit New Zealand.
During the pandemic, the country was earning nicknames like ‘the Hermit State,’ but now, New Zealand says it’s planning to rejoin the world - perhaps one of the biggest indicators that COVID is easing its grip on world travel.
Over the course of the last two years of COVID, the country famously stuck to its guns with a ‘zero-COVID’ approach. That meant a strict, almost complete border lockdown - where even its own citizens were often unable to return home due to scarce spaces in mandatory quarantine quarters.
But by OCT, New Zealand’s borders will be fully reopened to travellers.
Thursday, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced the country would begin a phased reopening. In a speech, she said there was "life before" COVID, but "there will be life after COVID too".
"We are well on our way to reaching that destination. But we are not quite there yet," she emphasized.
Following delays in implementing its phased approach due to the Omicron variant, now, the first phase begins 27FEB, when fully vaccinated New Zealand citizens residing in Australia will be permitted to enter without quarantine.
On 13MAR, a second new phase will permit entry to fully vaccinated New Zealand citizens, as well as skilled workers and “other eligible travellers” from the rest of the world.
Arrivals will also be permitted entry without quarantine, but will have to self-isolate for 10 days and get two negative rapid antigen COVID tests.
Reopening will continue gradually for students, critical workers and work visa holders, as well as neighbouring Australian citizens, before the final phase of fully reopened borders in OCT.
The New Zealand government reports that over 93 per cent of its citizens are fully vaccinated. It attributes only 53 deaths in its population of about 5 million people to COVID.
"Opening back up in this managed way balances inflows of travellers so people can reunite and fill our workforce shortages, while also ensuring our healthcare system can manage an increase in cases," Ardern said in a speech Thursday.
