New Zealand to reopen to double-jabbed holidaymakers next year

Lily Waddell24 November 2021

Double-jabbed holidaymakers will be welcomed back to New Zealand from next year.

UK tourists along with other foreign visitors will be able to take a trip to New Zealand from April 30 in the last phase of the reopening.

Holidaymakers will need to be fully vaccinated as well as being required to self-isolate for seven days and take a Covid test - at least for now.

The first steps will see fully vaccinated New Zealanders and visa holders from Australia allowed to return from January 17, while citizens from most other countries will be able to set foot in the South Pacific nation from February 14.

New Zealand’s Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said: “A phased approach to reconnecting with the world is the safest approach to ensure risk is carefully managed.

“This reduces any potential impacts on vulnerable communities and the New Zealand health system.”

It will mark the end of some of the world’s strictest Covid pandemic restrictions which have been in place since March 2020.

New Zealand struggled against an outbreak of the Delta virus after having previously maintained a notoriously tough approach to the Covid pandemic.

"We acknowledge that it has been very tough. Families have been separated. People have found themselves having to shelter in places they did not expect to stay for prolonged periods of time," Mr Hipkins said.

"We are acutely aware of the impact that these restrictions have had on individuals' lives and their livelihoods."

Earlier this week, New Zealand announced bars as well as restaurants and gyms can reopen in Auckland from December 2.

About 69 per cent of New Zealanders are fully vaccinated, including 84 per cent of those aged 12 and over.

New Zealand has reported just 40 coronavirus deaths since the Covid pandemic swept the globe.

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