New Zealand to remove testing and quarantine for returning Kiwis

New Zealand has announced that it will remove mandatory isolation and quarantine (MIQ) requirements for vaccinated citizens and residents this week, allowing the country’s sizeable expat community to return home for the first time in two years.

Fully vaccinated Kiwis based in Australia will be able to enter the country without meeting MIQ requirements from Wednesday 2 March, with Kiwis travelling from other countries entitled to do so from Friday 4 March.

It follows an announcement by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Monday that the government’s previous phased plan for easing restrictions would be revised due to a rapid rise in Covid cases in the country, driven by the Omicron variant.

 “I know this will be welcome news to the members of our team overseas, eager to travel home to see loved ones as soon as possible. We can't wait to see you,” Ardern said.

An evolving response as Omicron cases rise in New Zealand

Ardern argued that now the virus was pervasive within New Zealand itself, it no longer made sense to mandate MIQ restrictions. The decision was reportedly made following consultation with a panel of public health experts, led by epidemiologist Sir David Skegg.

“Over the past week the pandemic has rapidly evolved, going from 2365 cases a day to over 14,000 today. As the pandemic is evolving so too is our response,” said Ardern.

A similar rationale has been employed by the governments of other nations, such as the UK, whose Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on 5 January when announcing the easing of testing for international travellers, that: “Now Omicron is so prevalent, these measures are having limited impact on the growth in cases whilst continuing to pose significant costs to our travel industry.”

The government has also stated that it plans to bring forward its timetable to allow entry for other visa-holders, students and international travellers in the coming weeks. Previously, restrictions on international travellers were not originally expected to ease fully until at October.

New Zealand reported 15,016 Covid cases nationwide on 27 February, with a seven day average of 7,546.