Initially, the plan was to reopen the borders of New Zealand in July this year. However, there has been a change of plans with two border opening dates, one in April and another in May. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern made the announcement on Wednesday, giving the new dates.
New Zealand reopening earlier than planned
Originally, New Zealand was planning to reopen its borders in July. However, plans have changed with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern making an announcement on Wednesday. Now, fully vaccinated Australian travelers will be welcome to visit from 11:59 pm on Tuesday, April 12.
Fast-forward a couple of weeks and at 11:59 pm on Sunday, May 1, fully vaccinated travelers from around 60 visa-waiver nations will be able to visit. Those nations include the UK, the US, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Japan and more.
In October, as originally planned, New Zealand will open its borders to visitors from anywhere in the world and normal visa processing will resume.
Ardern said that closing their borders two years ago was one of the first actions they took to stop COVID-19. She added that this did the job they needed. Ardern said that now they are highly vaccinated and off their Omicron peak, it is now safe to open up.
New Zealanders allowed to head home
On February 27, New Zealand started the first phase of the reopening plan. This phase allowed fully vaccinated New Zealanders living in Australia to return home to visit friends and family.
New Zealand entered the first phase of its reopening plan on February 27, permitting fully vaccinated New Zealanders living in Australia to return home to visit friends and family.
The second phase happened a week later, when the New Zealand government allowed New Zealanders, living anywhere around the world, to return home. This phase also welcomed skilled international workers as well as those eligible for the working holiday visa to head to New Zealand.
What is needed to visit the country?
The latest changes will mean that vaccinated travelers will no longer need to self-isolate on arrival. However, any visitor over the age of two will still need to test for COVID-19.
In fact, a pre-departure test will be required before arrival in the country. Meanwhile, once in New Zealand, travelers will be given three rapid antigen tests at the airport. One is for use on the first day of arrival, a second for the fifth or sixth day, with the additional test as a backup.
Anyone who comes back with a positive result will need to take a PCR test at a community testing station in the country. This will allow the country to keep tabs on any emerging variants and isolate the cases if necessary.
To be considered fully vaccinated travelers must have received the first course of a vaccine schedule. This generally means they have received at least two doses, or in the case of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, one dose.
Meanwhile, any unvaccinated travelers will need to undergo mandatory quarantine at a government-run center.
New Zealand’s vaccination mandate
The country has run one of the most successful vaccination programs in the world. In fact, an impressive 94 percent of the population has been fully vaccinated. Meanwhile, 92 percent of those over 18 are now eligible for a booster jab.
The Prime Minister also spoke of the success of their vaccine program. Ardern said she is proud that New Zealand is a country that is able to provide a safe place for tourists to return. She added that this is due to their strong health response to COVID-19. However, she doesn’t expect tourism to immediately rebound to its previous levels.
“We know that traveler numbers will be below pre-COVID levels for awhile and tourism globally will take time to rebound, but today’s announcement means were we’re ready to go, so ‘haere mai’ welcome back.”
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