“Factors such as availability and cost of getting a test are increasingly becoming a barrier for people who want to travel here, especially as other countries reduce the availability of a test or the requirement for a test. at the entrance, “he said.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern shut down New Zealand and New Zealanders abroad at the start of the pandemic. Credit: AP
Professor Michael Plank of the University of Canterbury said the pre-departure tests were “costly, onerous and do not provide any useful information on the new variants”.
“They were an additional layer of useful defense in the past when the prevalence of the virus in New Zealand was very low, but now they have survived its usefulness,” he said.
The change consolidates a major political change in the government of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
New Zealand relentlessly pursued an elimination strategy ahead of other pandemic countries, blocking COVID-19 for much of the first two years.
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The arrival of the Omicron variant earlier this year was a change of game, with the government gradually relinquishing many measures such as mandatory quarantine for local cases, follow-up contacts and vaccine warrants.
The rules for wearing masks are maintained for many indoor environments in New Zealand, including public transportation and retail, and Verrall said it is unlikely to be reviewed during the winter.
COVID-19 cases in New Zealand remain stubbornly high, but are declining.
The average seven-day case was 5,777 on Wednesday, down from 6,035 last week, and well below the peak of more than 20,000 daily cases experienced in March.
On Wednesday, there were 11 COVID-related deaths, averaging seven days out of 13.
Earlier this year, New Zealand had a total of about 50 COVID-related deaths during the pandemic.
The death toll now stands at 1359.
“We have taken a careful and staged approach to reopening our borders to make sure we are not overwhelmed by the influx of COVID-19 cases,” Verrall said.
“Our strategy has worked and, as a result, it is safe to raise pre-departure testing requirements well ahead of schedule.”
AAP