New Zealand eases border restrictions

plenty new Zeland Satisfied on Monday. Especially those stranded abroad since the beginning Epidemic While that border restrictions New Zealand was among the strictest countries in the world.

at the Air port from AucklandOn Mondays, the reunion was often accompanied by tears of joy. Relatives were meeting with loved ones allowed into the country without mandatory quarantine in hotels, for the first time in nearly two years.

‘Important step’

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern He described the change as heartening, especially for the tens of thousands of New Zealanders abroad eager to return home. “We look forward to seeing you,” Jacinda Ardern told reporters in Wellington, adding that it was an “important step for our tourism sector and our regional economies.”

Until now, New Zealand expats entering the country have had to submit 10 days of solitude In expensive hotels. This requirement was lifted on Monday for incoming New Zealand citizens from Australia It will include all arrivals on Friday. Jacinda Ardern said arrivals will not have to self-isolate, as was originally planned.

Variable spread Omicron

She also said the government plans to speed up the gradual reopening of borders for all travelers, although no timetable has yet been set. Jacinda Ardern said the rapid spread of the variable Omicron It means that the effect of opening borders on the number of cases was less significant, which allowed the restrictions to be lifted sooner.

Tight border controls have been a major part of New Zealand’s success in fighting the coronavirus, with just 56 deaths recorded for a population of five million. The Omicron outbreak has intensified in recent weeks, with 14,657 new cases reported on Monday. The prime minister said the country’s high vaccination rate of around 95 percent “provides strong preventive coverage”.