New Zealand Blocks Travelers From India & Brazil From Entering Country

Brazil & India has seen massive COVID-19 outbreaks each day topping over 100,000

The handling of New Zealand’s COVID-19 pandemic has been at times the envy of the world leaders. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has managed the pandemic with a steady hand and has been able to keep her country’s COVID-19 case to a minimal.

With the recent serge in cases from India and Brazil, it was only a matter of time until the Prime Minister and other world leaders reinstitute travel restrictions on those countries. As of today, New Zealand reported 23 new positive cases amongst returnees, including 17 from India.

“While New Zealand continues to enjoy effective elimination of COVID with no community transmission, the same is not true of the rest of the world. In fact World Health Organization global reporting shows that in just the last month cases of the virus have been on the rise again internationally after falling steadily over January and February, with surges in cases particularly in Brazil and India.

Parts of Europe are going back into hard lockdown after a spiking of cases, with the highly transmissible UK strain taking hold and spreading through the continent.

We are starting to see this global trend mirrored locally, in those arriving in New Zealand. Through late January until recently our 7 day average of cases in MIQ had been sitting roughly at 2-3. This was a manageable level of cases that has not placed a significant strain on our system and has presented a low level of risk of wider transfer. 

As we know New Zealand is not immune to the virus, especially with an active pandemic raging outside our borders. It has been our strict border defences that have helped to keep COVID out and it is to the border we again look to manage this global spike. “ Said Ardern

New Zealand travel ban will go into effect from 4pm on 11 April (this Sunday) and remain in place until 28 April.

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