New Zealand lifts mandatory Quarantine from Covid-19 Travel Restrictions

New Zealand has announced to end the mandatory requirement of quarantine for incoming travelers as the country is witnessing decline in Covid-19 cases and taking initiatives to remove coronavirus border protections.

On Monday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said that the requirement for vaccinated travelers to isolate themselves for a week after arriving in the country would end on Wednesday. Initially the changes will be applicable to returning New Zealanders only, as tourists from other countries are still not allowed to visit.

However, travelers will still need to have a negative test report for Covid-19 before leaving and after arriving in the country. 

The Announcement 

Making the announcement, Ardern said, “I know this will be welcome news to the members of our team overseas, eager to travel home to see loved ones as soon as possible. We can’t wait to see you.” 

Tourism in New Zealand 

As reported by Channel News Asia, the tourism industry has welcomed the changes, although leaders wanted more certainty over when tourists could return. Before pandemic, International tourism used to account for about 20% of New Zealand’s foreign income but since the pandemic started the income through tourism has waived off completely. 

When the pandemic started to spread, New Zealand enacted as one of the world’s strictest border controls. The measures taken by the government of New Zealand were able to control the spread of Covid-19 by saving thousands of lives. 

Currently, New Zealand is recording approximately 15,000 daily cases of Covid-19, which is higher by 2,000 just 10 days ago when an outbreak of the omicron variant was spreading.