Families reunite at Auckland airport
(Picture: AFP via Getty Images)Vaccinated New Zealanders will no longer need to self-isolate when returning to the country in a loosening of the country’s strict border rules.
However, the change will only apply to New Zealand nationals and permitted travellers, and tourists could still be unable to visit the country for months.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced on Monday that all vaccinated Kiwis would be able to return without a week-long isolation if arriving from Australia from Thursday, and from the rest of the world from Friday.
New Zealanders will still need to take a pre-departure test and lateral flow tests on arrival and day five.
If the traveller tests positive for the virus, they will be required to self-isolate, in line with requirements for New Zealanders. Unvaccinated travellers will still have to stay in hotel quarantine, or MIQ.
Cabinet will consider the settings for all other travellers in the coming months.
"I know this will be welcome news to the members of our team overseas, eager to travel home to see loved ones as soon as possible," Ms Ardern said. "We can't wait to see you."
Vaccinated New Zealanders returning home from Australia were allowed to enter the country as long as they self-isolated from Monday.
Around 900 passengers from five Australia-New Zealand flights were reunited with tearful families at Auckland Airport on Monday morning.
The move is part of a five-step plan by the country to reopen its borders. It had imposed some of the world’s strictest border controls in a bid to clamp down on Covid.
Tourism leaders have welcomed the start of the rule relaxation, but called for clarity on when mass tourism might resume.
The Government said Monday it was considering fully reopening its borders to tourists sooner than the currently planned dates of July for Australians and October for those from other parts of the world.
While the country’s border controls won praise for Ms Arden’s government because of their role in keeping infections low earlier in the pandemic, they have come under increasing criticism amid the high number of cases in the country.
New Zealand has been recording about 15,000 cases of Covid per day, up from 2,000 just 10 days ago amid an outbreak of Omicron.
