Coronavirus – New Zealand will fully reopen its borders in early August

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced on Wednesday that New Zealand will fully reopen its borders in early August, ending some of the world’s toughest anti-Covid border measures.

From July 31, 11:59 p.m., New Zealand’s borders will be fully open to the world, two months ahead of schedule, ending measures that went into effect in March 2020 to combat the pandemic. “New Zealand is now fully open for business,” Ardern said. While the archipelago has one of the lowest rates of coronavirus-related deaths in developed countries, voices have been raised to denounce the inflexible measures that have affected economic growth. For most of the pandemic, all people arriving from abroad have had to undergo a two-week quarantine in government-run hotels guarded by the military. So far, only New Zealand citizens and citizens of countries with visa-free agreements can travel to New Zealand. Jacinda Ardern said, on Tuesday, that the date for the full opening of the borders had been brought forward by more than two months as part of a series of announcements aimed at reviving the economy, including the tourism sector. “This will be good news for families, businesses and migrants. It also provides time for airlines and cruise lines to prepare to return to New Zealand during the peak periods of spring and summer,” the prime minister said. New Zealand had 3.9 million visitors in 2019 and the tourism sector represents more than NZ$16 billion (€9.57 billion) annually. (Belga)