The Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern has revealed plans to reopen the country’s borders in 2022.
While making the announcement, Ardern said New Zealand would still maintain a COVID-19 elimination strategy — with vaccinated travellers from low-risk countries not needing to quarantine when they come into the country.
New Zealand has been praised for the way it handled the virus so far.
The country has some of the lowest coronavirus rates in the world and has reported below 2,900 cases and 26 deaths from the virus since the advent of the pandemic. It’s discovered no community cases for 166 days, containing COVID-19 to managed quarantine facilities.
New Zealand shut down its border to non-residents in March 2020 as the pandemic spread across the world
The government said it would implement a phased, risk-based system for travellers entering New Zealand from early 2022, once every NZ resident has received Pfizer doses — the only coronavirus vaccine available in the country.
Ardern said: “Low-Risk, Medium-Risk and High-Risk travel pathways will be created, and which pathway a traveller takes will be based on the risk associated with where they are coming from and their vaccination status.”
Under this system, vaccinated travellers from COVID-19 hotspots would need to quarantine in a managed facility for 14 days while those from medium-risk countries would have a reduced quarantine period or be allowed to self-isolate.
However, travellers from low-risk countries would not have to quarantine upon arrival.
Ardern said: “Our ultimate goal is to get to quarantine-free travel for all vaccinated travellers.
“A careful approach that says, there won’t be zero cases, but when there is one in the community, we crush it, is the best way to maintain our normal lives while we monitor the twists and turns of COVID-19 over the next six months.”
