Govt-19: New Zealand plans to reduce isolation to seven days and reopen borders | International | News

New Zealand on Thursday announced that it would reduce the mandatory isolation of foreign travelers from 14 to 7 days from November 14 as a first step towards reopening international borders.

The country, which adopts one of the world’s toughest policies against the epidemic, is set to expand existing isolated travel bubbles with the islands of Australia and the Cook Islands to the island states of Samoa, Tonga and Doklav on November 8. Govt-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins.

Under the strict border closure policy implemented from March 2020, New Zealand will only allow the return of its residents and citizens stranded abroad, as well as other exemptions for specific trade or humanitarian reasons.

However, many New Zealanders abroad have strongly criticized the authorities’ actions, saying they have great difficulty returning to their home country due to a shortage of beds in isolated centers.

Last week, the government of Prime Minister Jacinta Arden set the goal of achieving 90% complete immunization to reopen the economy and the country.

Officials, who did not specify a date when they would reach the target, have administered two doses of the Kovit-19 vaccine to 72% of the target population and to date one to 87%.

New Zealand, which reported 97 new local infections of Govt-19 this Thursday, has been controlling the population of its most populous city, Auckland, since mid-August.

The country has accumulated about 6,000 infections (both potential and confirmed) since the outbreak, including 28 deaths. (I)