New Zealand set to open border for tourists in late April

Wellington Nov 24 (BNA): The Minister for Covid-19 Response, Chris Hepkins, said on Wednesday that New Zealand will open its borders to the world from late April.

The German news agency (dpa) reported that the borders have been closed to everyone except for citizens and residents, with a few exceptions, since March 2020.

Hepkins told a news conference that fully vaccinated travelers would be able to travel to New Zealand from April 30.

“Closing our borders was one of the first steps we took to keep our country safe from Covid-19 and it will be the last thing we open,” he said.

“There is still a global pandemic with cases rising in Europe and other parts of the world, so we need to be very careful when reopening borders.”

Travelers will need to self-isolate for seven days, with testing requirements before and after travel. Some people, from countries at risk, will complete seven days in managed isolation followed by three days of self-isolation at home.

Hepkins said the borders may open “depending on the visa category” for foreigners, but that has yet to be determined.

New Zealand reported 215 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday. About 92 percent of the country’s eligible population received the first dose of the vaccine, while 84 percent of New Zealand’s population received the full vaccination.

New Zealand has a population of 5 million and has reported around 10,200 cases of Covid-19 and 40 deaths since the onset of the pandemic.

MI