The border is reopening in New Zealand to both New Zealanders and other eligible travellers from this month. Wonderfully, fully-vaccinated travellers can enter New Zealand from Australia, without having to quarantine, from Thursday, March 3. Likewise, Kiwis globally can return home from midnight Friday, March 4.
This opening promotes a return to somewhat normality for travel, after two years of COVID-19 restrictions. Excitingly, it also means that both New Zealanders and tourists alike can finally connect with loved ones and enjoy New Zealand once they step off the plane, says COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins.
However, the prime minister stated that testing will remain vital for travel. Therefore, every traveller will need to do a pre-departure test and a RAT on the day they arrive. Equally, MIQ isolation will still be used for travellers who are unvaccinated.
”We will still require every traveller to undertake a rapid antigen test on the day they arrive and on the day five or six. All positive RATs must be registered with a follow up PCR test.” Ardern stated.
Previously, fully vaccinated Kiwis globally would have to wait for border reopening in New Zealand, to return home without self-isolation, on March 13.
However, international students, visa holders and non-citizens worldwide still need to wait until April and July to visit New Zealand.
Delightfully, New Zealand has a 95% second dose vaccination rate, which is one of the highest in the world. Certainly, the positive news we need to hear.
COVID-19 was first detected in Wuhan, China in early December 2019. Since then, it has spread across the globe, infecting over 435 million people, with 5.95 million deaths as of February 28, 2022.