New Zealand’s borders are fully open for the first time since they abruptly snapped shut to keep Covid-19 out in March 2020, APA reports citing The Guardian.
The prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, said the nation was “open for business” after the final stage of the phased reopening, which began in April, was completed on Sunday night.
Visitors from all over the world will once again be allowed into New Zealand, including maritime arrivals, those on student visas, and those from non-visa waiver countries, such as China and India.
Ardern said the reopening was “an enormous moment” in his speech at the China Business Summita on Monday morning.
“It’s been a staged and cautious process on our part since February, as we, alongside the rest of the world, continue to manage a very live global pandemic while keeping our people safe,” she said.
“New Zealanders are hosts. Manaakitanga [hospitality] streams through our veins, and we open our arms to tourists and students, including from China, which before 2020 was New Zealand’s largest source of international students and second-largest source of tourists.
Cruise ships and foreign recreational yachts will also be allowed to dock at the country’s ports. The tourism minister, Stuart Nash, said the return of cruise ships – whose guests spent NZ$365m onshore a year prior to the pandemic – would be a big boost for local economies.
“Most cruise visits are during the warmer months of October to April … It will be full steam ahead for the industry, who can plan with certainty for the rest of the year and beyond,” Nash said in a statement.
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