New Zealand Outlines COVID-19 Plan to Reconnect with World

SYDNEY - New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has said her government will continue to pursue its ambitious COVID-19 elimination strategy indefinitely. On Thursday, she outlined a cautious and staged approach to reopening the country’s borders to some foreign travelers early next year.

New Zealand, which has some of the toughest COVID-19 controls in the world, closed its borders to most foreign nationals in March of last year. The closure is part of a strategy to eliminate the virus that also includes strict lockdowns and mandatory hotel quarantine for New Zealanders returning from overseas. The borders will remain closed for the rest of this year, and their reopening depends on the success of New Zealand’s vaccination rollout. The government said this would represent a shift from the “collective armor” of travel restrictions to the “individual armor” of inoculations. No timetable has been set, but it is likely that next year, vaccinated visitors from low-risk countries -- those considered to have COVID-19 under control -- will not have to go into hotel quarantine in New Zealand. Unvaccinated travelers and all visitors from high-risk countries would face a mandatory 14-day hotel isolation.