Travel to New Zealand during Covid-19
Photo by Tim Grundtner Pexels.com
The basics
New Zealand has become the poster child for how to deal with Covid-19. Its early lockdown and strict border measures mean it has suppressed the virus to an astonishing degree. That success also means that it will likely be quite a while before most international travelers are allowed to visit.
What's on offer
New Zealand's landscape is the stuff of legend. Arthur's Pass National Park, with its soaring peaks and deep valleys is ripe for "tramping," the locals' term for a good, long hike. Cape Reinga and Ninety Mile Beach offer vast sea views from the tip of North Island. Meanwhile, indigenous Maori culture permeates every aspect of the country. Pick up an RV and it's easy to find an empty corner of this magical country to explore.
Who can go
The rules are simple. Other than a few exceptions for partners, dependents and critical workers, only New Zealand residents and citizens are allowed into the country without first requesting to travel. Any other travel into the country must be for a critical purpose and admission must be obtained first.
What are the restrictions?
New Zealand has maintained some of the toughest travel guidelines in the world since March 2020. All arrivals, including New Zealand citizens, must undertake 14 days of mandatory quarantine and test negative for Covid-19 at the end of this period before entering the community.
All arrivals must book their place in a managed isolation and quarantine facility prior to travel, and a voucher confirming that a space has been booked must be presented before boarding. Availability is currently extremely limited.
Travelers coming from the United Kingdom or United States must also have a negative Covid-19 test result before boarding their flight.
New Zealand has temporarily suspended entry for all travelers from India, including New Zealand citizens, for two weeks from April 11.
A two-way travel bubble between New Zealand and Australia opened in April, allowing passengers to move quarantine-free between both countries for the first time in more than a year.
Under the new rules, travelers won't be allowed to travel if they had a positive Covid-19 test in the previous 14 days or present flu-like symptoms.
There is also a one-way travel bubble with the Cook Islands, which allows visitors from the Cook Islands quarantine-free entry into New Zealand. There are also plans for a two-way bubble to be in place by May.
A one-way travel bubble from the Pacific Island of Niue commenced on March 24.
What's the Covid situation?
The country's prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, has won plaudits for her handling of the crisis, in which only 26 people have died, with 2,600 cases overall. On January 26, 2021, Ardern said that New Zealand's borders will remain closed for most of this year, aside from pursuing travel arrangements with neighboring Australia and other Pacific nations.
What can visitors expect?
All of New Zealand is at Alert Level 1, the lowest restriction level. Face coverings must be worn on public transport and domestic flights, and it's recommended to keep a safe distance from others when out and about, but otherwise life can continue relatively as normal. The country's Alert Levels go up to 4, at which point a stay-at-home order would be in place and education facilities would be closed.
Source & Full article: Travel to New Zealand during Covid-19: What you need to know before you go
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