Does New Zealand reopen? Yes, but in baby steps
After some wonderful news, namely the reopening of Australia after nearly 2 years of closure, New Zealand seems to be following the [...]
After a beautiful NEWS, or the reopening of Australia after nearly 2 years of closure, the New Zealand seems to be following in its cousin's footsteps, albeit in a significantly more gradual.
In this article:
The official website of the New Zealand government immigration.govt.nz published the instructions detailed on the reopening of the country. It will be a very gradual reopening and sounded out in 5 steps, let's go and see them together.
Phase 1 - from February 27 / Phase 2 from March 13
After the closure in March 2020 many New Zealand citizens and residents were denied return home. There are very few cases of people who have been able to return home; for most it has been a utopia until now.
From February 27 finally New Zealand citizens, permanent residents, Australian citizens with fixed residence, cohabitants, dependent children or diplomats can re-embrace their loved ones. Needed self-isolation upon arrival.
From March 13 it is the turn of the workers, such as working vacation programs or those who meet government wage criteria that amount to one and a half times the average wage. Only for family reunification is this rule more flexible.
Phase 3 - from April 12 / Phase 4 from July
La phase 3 of New Zealand's reopening program will see the borders reopened by the April 12 for all holders of temporary visa as long as it is still valid. The estimate is about 5,000 international students who will be able to return for the second semester of study, along with other government-approved work-study programs.
A July instead there will be the stage 4 involving open borders for Australian citizens, permanent residents, visitors coming from visa-exempt countries and holders of work visas accredited by a sponsor.
Phase 5 reopening New Zealand - from October 2022
Finally, we see the phase of particular interest to us, namely the stage 5 which will be operational from October and which will see the new zealand borders open also for all other visitors holding visa and students.
Prerequisite is a visa valid in order to enter the country. At the moment the official communication is that a period of quarantine mandatory 10 days upon arrival in the country, we don't know if anything will change in a few months but we will keep you updated.
Another requirement will be the test antihygienic pre- and post-departure, as well as the mandatory vaccination In order to enter New Zealand.
"This is a very carefully developed plan that replaces MIQ (Managed Isolation and Quarantine ed.) for the vast majority of travelers, while ensuring that we maintain ongoing measures to reduce the spread of Covid-19 in our community.
With 94% of our population fully vaccinated, it is time to shift gears in our response to Covid-19 to focus on reconnection and recovery. When we begin to reopen our border, we will be one of the most vaccinated and empowered countries in the world, and the Covid-19 protection framework will be well established to help manage future outbreaks and variants.
New Zealanders need to reconnect with each other. Families and friends need to come together. Our businesses need skills to grow. Exporters need to travel to make new connections."
Chris Hipkins, New Zealand's minister of health.
Before the pandemic, New Zealand was releasing over 1 million visas For visitors to the year, the braking due to the coronavirus has given a good beating to the economy Of the island.
After almost two years, the time has come to reopen the borders. Are you ready to return?
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