New Zealand delays reopening the border until February at Omicron | Corona virus epidemic

The South Pacific nation has been planning to release border restrictions since January.

New Zealand on Tuesday suspended its plans to reopen the border until the end of February, citing the global spread of the Omicron species of coronavirus.

The South Pacific nation had just begun to reduce the effects of the global epidemic and its global ban was due to be released gradually, starting in January, and all. foreign visitors are allowed to enter the country from April.

The private tour, which is due to open for New Zealanders in Australia on January 16, has been delayed until the end of February, COVID-19 Responsible Minister Chris Hipkins said at a press conference in Wellington.

“All the evidence so far indicates that Omicron is the most widely distributed form of COVID-19.

“Undoubtedly this is frustrating and will disrupt many vacation plans, but it is important to put these changes in perspective today so that they have time to reflect on those plans.”

Caution

The methods are cautious, as it is not yet clear how Omicron infects people and how it affects health systems is still unclear, he said.

New Zealand has also stated that the length of stay in a state-of-the-art facility is increased from one week to 10 days. Experimental pre-departure trials for entry into New Zealand have also been reduced from 72 hours to 48 hours before departure.