From Reuters:
“Tears and chocolate as New
Zealand opens its borders to 60 more countries”
New Zealand welcomed thousands of
travellers from around the globe on Monday as the country opened its borders to
visitors from around 60 nations including the United States, Britain and
Singapore for the first time since COVID-19 hit in early 2020. Maori cultural
performers sang songs at the arrivals gate in Auckland and travellers were
handed popular locally made chocolate bars as the first flights came in from
Los Angeles and San Francisco. Friends and family hugged and cried as people
were reunited for what was for some the first time in more than two years. Garth
Halliday, who was waiting at the airport for his son, daughter-in-law and
grandson to land from London, told local media it made him happy and emotional
to see so many families reunited.
New Zealand had some of the
toughest curbs in the world during the pandemic and only recently started to
ease the increasingly unpopular measures, hoping to boost tourism and ease
labour shortages now the Omicron variant is widespread domestically. Borders
were opened to New Zealanders and Australians in February and March. Now
visitors from around 60 visa-waiver countries can enter as long as they are
vaccinated and test negative for COVID. There are no requirements for
isolation. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told attendees at the U.S.
Business Summit in Auckland that overseas visitors will really "bring back
a piece that has been missing from New Zealand and New Zealanders."
^ This was long-over-due. ^
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