New Zealand will not be opening its borders this year. Referring to this, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Arden said the nation’s border will remain closed at least till the end of this year.
While delivering a speech, she stated that the government will be ramping up COVID-19 vaccination program to prepare to reopen its borders in a phased manner. She added that their ultimate goal is to get quarantine-free travel for all vaccinated travellers, and that they are not in a position to fully reopen just yet.
She stressed that as of now, the priority was to vaccinate the country’s population by the end of 2021.
As per the latest news reports, New Zealand is seen as one of the most successful countries in the world in controlling the coronavirus pandemic.
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She further added that when the country does reopen next year, vaccinated travellers from low-risk countries will be able to visit the country without the need to undergo quarantine, while those from higher risk countries will have to either undergo quarantine or will be required to self-isolate for 14 days.
Reportedly, New Zealand has managed to contain COVID-19 outbreaks in the country, for which the Prime Minister has won praises for the manner in which she handled the pandemic.
Reports have it that lockdowns and strict border controls are among the strict measures that have managed to keep the infection rates low.
She maintained that as long as the scientific evidence shows that they can safely transition from a border defense to the individual armour of the vaccine, then that will be the direction they will proceed.
