New Zealand tightens travel rules as Govt-19 spreads

This content was released on 03 October 2021 – 04:29
03 October 2021 – 04:29

(AFP)

New Zealand on Sunday announced more stringent border controls, after registering cases of COVID-19 in areas previously without corona virus.

“We are introducing the need for non-citizens of New Zealand, 17 and over, to be fully vaccinated against entering the country,” said Christ Hipkins, the minister responsible for the response. COVID-19.

National carrier Air New Zealand has also announced that all international passengers will be vaccinated from February 1.

The country was able to control the virus, killing only 27 of its five million population thanks to strict border controls and closures, which allowed it to resume pre-epidemic life.

The new border restrictions came as neighboring cities of Hamilton and Rockland entered a five-day closure, recognizing only essential trips to two infections of the virus.

Auckland, 160 km away, has been closed for nearly seven weeks due to an infectious delta variation that has affected 1,320 people.

About 2,000 people took part in the weekend protest against the closure in Auckland, which Prime Minister Jacinta Arden called “a full room in the face” for people who adhere to strict rules against public meetings.

New Zealand was free from social disasters for six months until it recorded the latest eruption in Auckland.