no 2021 travel to New Zealand?

[Markanddonna]

I heard this morning that New Zealand placed a ban on all 2021 travel to its country.  True?

[d9704011]

Well, it sort of depends on who you are and why you’d like to go.

 

https://www.immigration.govt.nz/about-us/covid-19/border-closures-and-exceptions

[kiwijo]

Not true.  Our PM has commented that the new COVID variants are making it harder to open a trans-Tasman or South Pacific bubble which was hoped for in Q1 2021.  Re-opening NZ's borders will rely on evidence that "being vaccinated means you don't pass Covid-19 on to others or we need enough of our population to be vaccinated and protected that people can safely re-enter New Zealand."

 

At the moment, anybody entering New Zealand - resident or visitor - needs to immediately enter a managed isolation quarantine hotel and remain there for a minimum of 14 days as well as returning multiple negative COVID tests during that stay.

 

Additionally, New Zealand's borders are closed to cruise ships and have been since March 2020, unless they meet some highly complex maritime work criteria.  Two small expedition ships which have met that criteria are operating cruises - under very modified conditions - in Feb and March to the very south and sub-Antarctic islands for New Zealand residents only.

 

In short, it's complicated.  New Zealand hasn't had a community case of Covid in over 70 days - all our current cases are imported from returning residents, essential workers or exempted visitors and have been stopped at the border.