New Zealand welcomes tourists back as COVID rules eased
Al JazeeraAPR 2 2022
New Zealand has proved itself to be safe, with one of the lowest COVID death rates in the developed world and a highly vaccinated population. Reopening borders is a welcomed and deserved change that will bring both economic opportunities and relief to travellers all over the world.
While a step in the right direction, the announcement shows a disappointing lack of consideration for split families from non-visa waiver countries. Although Ardern has claimed that New Zealand is ready to welcome the world back, the failure to open the border to everyone is a clear contradiction.
Fortress New Zealand' has fallen. After two years of pandemic isolation and being lauded as a global COVID success story, the Omicron variant is now ripping through the Pacific nation. Omicron's speed makes isolation obsolete, and New Zealand - and its well vaccinated population - must now re-open and learn to live with the virus.