New Zealand Begins to Reopen—But U.S. Travelers Must Wait a Bit Longer

On Thursday, New Zealand’s government announced it will lift its quarantine requirements for incoming travelers and reopen its borders, a move celebrated by thousands of citizens abroad who have faced long waits to return home.

Since the pandemic began, New Zealand has implemented some of the strictest border restrictions globally. Most incoming travelers have been required to spend 10 days in military-managed quarantine hotels, creating a backlog at the border.

These measures were initially praised for saving numerous lives and enabled New Zealand to manage or eradicate several COVID-19 outbreaks.

However, these border restrictions are increasingly seen as outdated in a world where the virus is becoming endemic and in a country where the Omicron variant is already circulating. The bottleneck compelled many New Zealanders overseas to enter a lottery-style system to secure a quarantine spot and a way home.

The updated border policies indicate that vaccinated New Zealanders returning from Australia will no longer need to quarantine starting at the end of this month, and those returning from other countries will be exempt from quarantine by mid-March, though they must isolate at home.

However, vaccinated tourists from visa-waiver nations, including the U.S., will have to wait until July 2022 and will still be required to self-isolate, according to the new 5-step plan. All other international tourists will be permitted entry in October 2022.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern acknowledged that many associate the border restrictions with emotional pain, but emphasized that they have certainly saved lives.

“There is no doubt that for New Zealand, this has been one of the most challenging aspects of the pandemic,” she stated. “The reason it ranks as one of our toughest experiences is partly because we have avoided large-scale loss of life.”

She remarked that the controls meant not everyone could return home when they wished, but they also ensured that COVID-19 could not enter the country at will.

Ardern noted that the restrictions have enabled New Zealand to strengthen its defenses against the virus by achieving high vaccination rates while also maintaining a robust economy.

Approximately 77 percent of New Zealanders are fully vaccinated, as reported by Our World in Data. This figure rises to 93 percent for those aged 12 and older, according to health officials.

New Zealand has recorded only 53 COVID-19 related deaths among its population of 5 million.

The economy of New Zealand rebounded quickly after the initial pandemic downturn, with unemployment dropping to 3.2 percent in the most recent quarter, the lowest since record-keeping began in 1986. However, the government has significantly increased borrowing, and housing prices have surged.

“There was life before, and now life with COVID, but that also means there will be life after COVID as well—a life where we have adapted, where normality returns, and where the weather can again be our main topic of conversation,” Ardern expressed. “We are making progress toward that goal. We’re just not there yet.”