New Zealand can keep borders closed for most of 2021 – Tellam

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has warned that authorities may keep borders closed for much of 2021 and linked the decision to the progress of the coronavirus vaccination campaign, which has yet to begin.

Ardern stressed that enough people must be vaccinated before borders can reopen, adding that this “will take time”, according to data reported by the Europa Press news agency.

The official in New Zealand added that the first vaccine against Covid-19 will only receive approval from the authorities in February.

In New Zealand, the first vaccine against Covid-19 will only receive approval from the authorities in February“

He also described the infection discovered last Sunday as “unpleasant”, the first in the past two months, indicating that it is a “complex virus”, but stressed that the government is ready to confront the situation.

Regarding the coronavirus vaccination campaign, the minister responsible for responding to the pandemic, Chris Hepkins, reported that it will start with first-line workers.

“These brave people have been protecting our country from this pandemic for the past year and protecting them and those who live with them is a priority for us,” Hipkins was quoted as saying by the New Zealand Herald.

According to Arden, this first stage of the process will take two to three weeks.

In total, since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, New Zealand has accumulated 2,290 infections and 25 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins University database.