New Zealand will gradually reopen its borders in 2022

Live concerts are back in New Zealand 4:55

(CNN) -

New Zealand will open its doors to vaccinated travelers from low-risk countries from early 2022, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced Thursday, signaling a timid relaxation of the country's strict border controls in the event of a pandemic. .

In a speech delivered Thursday morning, Ardern said the government would step up New Zealand's covid-19 virus vaccination program in preparation for a gradual reopening. "Our ultimate goal is to come up with a trip without quarantine for all vaccinated travelers. And what can be seen as of today is that our direction and ambition are clear. But we are just not in a position to fully reopen yet," Ardern said. .

New Zealand has had one of the lowest rates of COVID-19 infection among developed nations.

In a population of almost 5 million people, it has diagnosed fewer than 3,000 cases of Covid-19 and only 26 deaths.

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In his speech, Ardern attributed the low case rate in part to the decision to close New Zealand's borders to all non-residents in March 2020. New Zealand has applied mandatory 14-day quarantine rules, limiting the number of citizens that can enter the country from April 2020.

"If New Zealand had been hit as hard as the United Kingdom or the United States, almost 10,000 kiwis would have died," Ardern said.

But inflexible border controls have also left the Pacific island nation comparatively isolated and disconnected from the rest of the world, something Ardern appeared to acknowledge on Thursday.

"We cannot keep the border restrictions forever, and to be absolutely clear neither do we want to, and neither do the experts we spoke to. The border closures were always a temporary measure to keep covid out before a vaccine was developed and administered. Ardern said.

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"As long as scientific evidence shows that we can safely move from border defense to individual vaccine shielding, that is the direction we will take," he added.

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As part of the reopening, Ardern announced that New Zealand will intend to apply a risk-based system to enter the country from early 2022.

"A careful approach that says, there will be zero cases, but when there is one in the community, we crush it, it is the best way to maintain our normal life while we monitor covid-19 twists in the next six months," Ardern said.

According to a statement from the New Zealand government, with the new system, vaccinated travelers from high-risk countries would still have to undergo quarantine in a managed facility for 14 days, but those from medium-risk countries could have a reduced quarantine , or they would be allowed to self-isolate, while those from low-risk countries would be allowed to enter without going through quarantine.

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New Zealand has yet to announce which countries will be classified as low, medium or high risk.

At the same time, the government said it would advance vaccination deadlines.

The government statement says New Zealand will also test a program to allow some returning travelers to isolate themselves at home between October and December this year.

Ardern's announcement comes as neighboring Australia continues to battle several outbreaks of the delta variant of Covid-19, which has led to prolonged shutdowns in Sydney and Melbourne.

On Thursday, the Australian capital, Canberra, announced that it would also begin a one-week shutdown after a case of covid-19 was detected in the city.

On July 30, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced a plan to reopen Australia's borders in four stages once vaccination rates reached more than 70%.

Both Australia and New Zealand have had problems vaccinating their populations: currently only 23% of the Australian population over 16 years of age have received both doses, while in New Zealand it is less than 20%.

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In his speech on Thursday, Ardern made clear that New Zealand was not going to abandon its policy of aiming for zero COVID-19 cases despite increased vaccinations.

Some countries, including Singapore, have announced plans in recent months to sideline zero covid and adopt a risk reduction strategy, aimed at reducing deaths and hospitalizations more than infections overall.

But Ardern said New Zealand could not allow an outbreak of the delta variant of Covid-19 like the one currently occurring in neighboring Australia.

"Principle number one will continue to be ... maintain our elimination strategy to end the virus so that we can maintain our hard-earned gains and keep our options open," he said.

New Zealand Reopening