New Zealand has announced it will be opening up its borders to fully vaccinated Kiwis from around the world from midnight on March 4.
Prime Minister Jacinda Arden announced the border change in Parliament noting that this would be welcome news to many Kiwis who are “eager to travel home to see loved ones as soon as possible.”
“I can assure you now that as we open, all vaccinated travellers who test negative on arrival with a RAT will be able to immediately enjoy New Zealand and all it has to offer and not have to isolate,” she said on Monday.
Fully vaccinated Kiwis returning from overseas will not need to isolate upon arrival and will undertake two rapid antigen tests within six days of arriving. Those with a positive result will be required to isolate for the same period as a community case.
Meanwhile, all unvaccinated travellers will be required to enter managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ).
But the Prime Minister warned the pandemic was still an ongoing issue and that the government could still bring back restrictions after the border reopening.
“The usual caveats (apply). We are making these decisions in light of the experience we have and the evidence we have,” she said. “The pandemic isn’t over yet. We need to make sure we have in our back pocket all of the tools that have got us through so far.”
The announcement comes after the country opened its gates to Kiwis in Australia last Sunday.
Professor David Skegg said the announcement was made in light of significant changes in the past few weeks.
“Given the rapid change… we believe it is now appropriate to drop the requirement of self-isolation for fully vaccinated New Zealanders,” he said.
“If you had asked for our advice two or three weeks ago, we probably would have given a different answer. This has developed very rapidly.”
It comes following calls from opposition parties National and ACT for greater freedom for movement.
Prior to the announcement, opposition leader Chris Luxon said: “From the families that couldn’t see loved ones, to the hospitality businesses who don’t have any international customers—Kiwis are hurting.”
“It’s time to re-engage with the world.”
New Zealand has some of the highest vaccination rates in the world, with 95 percent of those aged 12 and over double-dosed.
Just over 70 percent of the eligible population have also received a third dose.
