NZ government puts in place a new border entry protocol from early 2022

The New Zealand Government announced that self-isolation testing will begin for vaccinated people, in place of MIQ from this year. A new border entry system based on low, medium, and high-risk entry will be installed from early 2020. COVID-19 jabs will be available for all eligible ages from 1st September and the gap between the first and second doses has been increased from 3 to 6 weeks. New rules around mask-wearing and QR code scanning will be announced very soon to adapt to higher alert levels. 

All these changes have been made in response to the Skegg report which alerted the government that a full rollout of the Covid-19 vaccine is a necessary prerequisite before opening the borders. The report was made by a group of public health specialists led by Professor Sir David Skegg. Skegg was not pally with the idea of home isolation unless supported by other measures. He felt that it would not be enough to contain the virus. The government organised a forum and laid out its four-step plan for border management in Wellington. 

At the forum, Jacinda Ardern, NZ PM said that the second half of 2021 will be dedicated by the government to inoculate as many people as possible. Home isolation trials will be allowed for vaccinated people instead of keeping them in managed isolation facilities. The home isolation trials for vaccinated people are expected to run from October through December. 

She recognised the economic devastation caused by border closures but also maintained that the elimination strategy was required to bring the cases of Covid-19 down. Ardern suggested a careful approach should be adopted so that the advantages and freedoms gained from shutting down the borders are not lost by recklessly opening them. 

1. A new border system will be put in place which would assess people’s risk individually:-
2. Low Risk- No isolation is required for vaccinated travellers from low-risk countries.
3. Medium Risk- Modified isolation requirements will be followed by vaccinated travellers from medium-risk countries.
4. High Risk-Unvaccinated Travellers from high-risk countries will be required to quarantine for 14 days in MIQ.

Pre-Departure tests and further testings for travellers coming to New Zealand are also made compulsory under the new border system. Ardern elaborated, "Countries will be grouped according to risk. Factors considered will be the number of cases, the prevalence of variants of concern, vaccination rates, and our confidence in the country's strategies for managing outbreaks. We have started already with our approach to very high-risk countries, but this will be broadened."

The vaccination rollout program is the first step of the four-step plan of the government. Its emphasis is to speed up the vaccination process to ensure the NZ population is partially vaccinated at least to reduce the risk and impact of the Delta virus which is expected to enter the country very soon. Vaccines for  50+ will be open from 13th August; 40+ will be from 18th August; 30+ will be open from 25th August and from 1 September it will be open to all eligible ages.

The second stage of the plan is to inoculate the wider population and setting up the trail for the self-isolation scheme and other measures. The third stage will see the government introducing the individual risk-based border and creating conditions where lockdowns are a rare occurrence. The fourth stage would allow vaccinated travellers eligible for quarantine-free travel after a negative Covid-19 report. Ardern affirmed, "Our ultimate goal is to get to quarantine-free travel for all vaccinated travellers ... but we're simply not in a position for a full reopen just yet."