New Zealand eyes early 2022 for reopening its borders to vaccinated travelers
New Zealand intends to reopen its borders to vaccinated visitors without quarantine in early 2022, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced on Aug. 12.
Since closing her country's borders in March 2020, the New Zealand powerhouse prime minister has received international recognition and praise for her approach to handling the COVID-19 pandemic as the country has maintained some of the lowest COVID-19 rates in the world, with just 26 reported deaths and fewer than 3,000 confirmed cases, per Johns Hopkins data.
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After being closed to international visitors since March 2020 due to the pandemic, the New Zealand government will be implementing a phased approach to its reopening, categorizing incoming travelers by risk — specifically low risk, medium risk and high risk.
"Which pathway a traveller takes will be based on the risk associated with where they are coming from and their vaccination status," Ardern said in a press statement on Aug. 12. “Each pathway will have testing and isolation requirements proportionate to that risk."
Vaccinated travelers from countries deemed low risk will be granted quarantine-free entry. Medium-risk entrants will face a combination of self-isolation and/or reduced managed isolation and quarantine for vaccinated travelers. All high-risk individuals, regardless of vaccination status, will be subjected to a 14-day MIQ and testing. an MIQ is a managed quarantine.
New Zealand has not decided yet which countries will be on which list. It's unclear where the U.S. will fall on that list.
Read more: New Zealand says its borders may remain closed through 2021
“To prepare for the Medium-Risk pathway the Government will run a self-isolation pilot in the second half of this year to test processes and systems for the safe use of this tool," the prime minister said, and also noted that the country would be using the rest of 2021 to prepare for this "individual risk-based approach" at the border, including implementing new testing and vaccine checking systems.
“Key to this is maintaining our Elimination Strategy. The advice is clear: If we open our borders now we will lose the freedoms and advantages we have achieved so far," Ardern said. “If we give up our elimination approach too soon there is no going back, and we could see significant breakouts here like some countries overseas are experiencing who have opened up early in their vaccination rollout."
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To that end, the government is accelerating their vaccination rollout this year due to the delta variant, with hopes of vaccinating "as many New Zealanders as possible and safely (conducting) a self-isolation trial for vaccinated New Zealanders in order to prepare for a phased resumption of quarantine-free travel." Vaccine priority in New Zealand has been based on age thus far, but now locals of all ages will be able to book their first-dose vaccine appointment starting Sept. 1. Presently, just over 17% of the population has been vaccinated.
“New Zealand remains in a strong position. We don’t have COVID in the community and our economy is more open than most," said Ardern. “Our plan to reopen our borders both protects the gains we have won, while setting us up to safely reconnect New Zealanders and business with the world and seize the opportunities created by our COVID success."
In April, New Zealand extended quarantine-free travel reciprocity to neighboring Australia to enable quarantine-free journeys between the two countries. Several Australian states had been allowing quarantine-free travel from New Zealand since October 2020, but New Zealand held off because of isolated outbreaks in Australia.
Related: Australia and New Zealand open quarantine-free travel bubble
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Build your loyalty to Delta by applying for the carrier's mid-tier card option, the Delta SkyMiles Platinum card. The annual fee is quickly recouped by the card's travel perks, such as an application credit to Global Entry or TSA Precheck, annual companion certificate and so much more. Plus you can fast-track to elite status simply through card spend.Pros
- Earn bonus Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) and an Medallion Qualifying Dollar (MQD) waiver when you hit specific spending thresholds with your card within a calendar year
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year
- Statement credit for TSA PreCheck/Global Entry fee (up to $100)
- First checked bag free
Cons
- Doesn't make sense if you don't fly Delta
- SkyMiles aren't the most valuable airline currency
- Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Card. Payment of the government imposed taxes and fees of no more than $80 for roundtrip domestic flights (for itineraries with up to four flight segments) is required. Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for details.
- Enjoy your first checked bag free on Delta flights. Plus enjoy Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding and settle into your seat sooner.
- New: Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels.
- Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide including takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets.
- Earn 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases.
- Enjoy a per-visit rate of $50 per person for Card Members and up to two guests to enter the Delta Sky Club when traveling on a Delta flight.
- Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® after you apply through any Authorized Enrollment Provider. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck.
- Earn up to 20,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) with Status Boost® per year. After you spend $25,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, you can earn 10,000 MQMs up to two times per year, getting you closer to Medallion® Status. MQMs are used to determine Medallion® Status and are different than miles you earn toward flights.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- $250 Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees