New Zealand nationals returning to the island nation will no longer have to isolate themselves, prime minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday, announcing that the strict Covid-19 regulation will be removed on Wednesday.
"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."
Foreign travellers planning to visit New Zealand are still not allowed in the country.
The prime minister said her Cabinet was considering reopening the borders completely for tourists from Australia sooner than the slated date of July.
New Zealand is considering opening borders completely for people elsewhere in the world from October, Ms Ardern said.
Travellers will be required to present a negative Covid report before leaving and after entering New Zealand, as per the new rules.
Isolated from the rest of the world since the start of pandemic as a strategic move, this is the first time New Zealand is easing its border restrictions.
The country had announced an end to quarantine regulation on incoming travellers where they were asked to isolate themselves in hotel rooms operated by the military.
However, unvaccinated travellers are still required to isolate themselves in the facility.
The regulations eased and announced on Monday are part of a five-step plan by Ms Ardern’s administration as it looks to instil normalcy alongside Covid outbreak.
Tough restrictions imposed by the New Zealand government are among the strictest border rules, which kept the southwestern Pacific country comparatively unaffected from the soaring Covid cases and deaths.
However, opposition leaders and trade industry experts criticised the move for economical losses faced by the country.
New Zealand generated 20 per cent of its foreign income from international tourism but it dipped drastically after the pandemic began in 2020.
After being unaffected for more than a year, Covid cases in New Zealand have started peaking with about 15,000 infections recorded per day with the highly contagious variant Omicron spreading.
This is at least seven times higher than the tally recorded just 10 days back.
