New Zealand plans to remove its border restrictions and resume international travel without people having to mandatory stay at state-managed quarantine facilities. The country finally announced to lift one of the strictest border lockdowns imposed.
#BREAKING | Self-isolation explained: All you need to know as quarantine-free travel returns https://t.co/1wXcpQrnMn pic.twitter.com/Sq4Q6AvnYk
— nzherald (@nzherald) February 2, 2022
New Zealand: Lifting border restrictions
In response to the covid-19 pandemic, the country of New Zealand imposed one of the world’s severe and uncompromising border restrictions. The nation put themselves in a nationwide travel control-based lockdown for almost 2 years, isolating from the world completely.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced a five-step plan to fully reopen the country’s border by October. It will start by easing some of the border’s entry restrictions and ending compulsory quarantine at facilities for Nation’s people stranded overseas due to the pandemic. Vaccinated people will be able to return to their country in late February, and will be allowed for self-isolation.
The initial plans of reopening were supposedly going to take flight in April. But the emergence of the Omicron variant took the world by surprise. It ended up delaying the reopening plans, further scheduling it for October 2022.
The Five Stages of Reopening
Step 1: (27 February 2022) Reopen to New Zealanders and other eligible travelers under current border controls from Australia.
Step 2: (13 March 2022) Reopen to New Zealanders and other eligible travelers under current border controls from the rest of the world. Open to skilled workers earning at least 1.5 times the median wage. Open to Working Holiday Scheme visas.
Step 3: (12 April 2022) Open to current offshore temporary visa holders, meeting the relevant visa requirements. Open to up to 5,000 international students for semester two.
Step 4: (July 2022) Open to anyone from Australia. Open for visa-waiver travel. The Accredited Employer Work Visa will open, meaning the skilled and health worker border exception can be eliminated.
STEP 5 (October 2022) Border fully reopens to visitors from anywhere in the world, and all visa categories fully reopen.
#EXPLAINED | New Zealand's five stages of border re-opening explained. https://t.co/arNSq21Jpm pic.twitter.com/wVWrr8xpCW
— nzherald (@nzherald) February 2, 2022
New Zealand is reopening but one epidemiologist has some questions on how it will all work once New Zealanders return in their thousands. https://t.co/UKrAnP2dx9 pic.twitter.com/oBEQdSVjiU
— nzherald (@nzherald) February 3, 2022
Relieved, hesitant and 'absolutely worn down': Overseas Kiwis react to border opening date
https://t.co/TmemzGCVmD pic.twitter.com/AX8PMaSaI7
— nzherald (@nzherald) February 3, 2022
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