New Zealand’s border with Australia has reopened to welcome visitors

The first international visitors to come in the country since the outbreak began landed in major cities including as Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch on Wednesday. So far, only Australian citizens and permanent residents are permitted.

On May 2, the border will be open to countries that do not require a visa to enter, such as the United Kingdom and the United States.

For the first few days after reopening, all Qantas flights from Australia to New Zealand are fully booked.

Air New Zealand flew me from Sydney to
Even a one-hour delay in departure couldn’t dampen people’s spirits as they prepared to visit relatives and friends in New Zealand.

Colleen Paul is a New Zealand passport holder who is travelling with her two Australian children. They haven’t been back to see relatives in more than two years.
The airfare cost more than twice as much as normal, and it’s a long journey. The family will fly from Brisbane to Sydney, then to Wellington, New Zealand, before arriving in Auckland. Brisbane’s direct flights were completely sold out.
Colleen Paul, speaking on the phone from Sydney Airport with her mother and sister, said the tight borders were “worth it” to safeguard the elderly and keep New Zealand’s COVID-19 death toll low.

“In New Zealand, the message was that individuals were more important than borders, and that life was the priority,” she said.

It worked for the most of the pandemic. Only about 500 people have died in the country.

New Zealand’s COVID-zero policy was the envy of many other countries, with one of the harshest border entrance procedures in the world and hard lockdowns.

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