Significant Border Changes a Possibility in the First Half of The New Year

According to Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins, the coronavirus will ultimately become “endemic” in New Zealand, and there may be “major” adjustments to the borders in the first half of 2022.

Because of the Omicron variant’s high infectiousness, many epidemiologists throughout the world believe endemic Covid-19 is inescapable.

Endemic does not imply it is harmless; rather, it implies that Covid-19 is predictable and treatable, similar to other respiratory disorders such as the flu.

Covid-19 was effectively kept out of New Zealand until August 2021, when a Delta epidemic necessitated a change in tactics. The virus has been effectively controlled since then. Hipkins has stated that it was never a five-year plan to keep Covid-19 out of New Zealand. It was always about getting everyone vaccinated and better prepared was always a priority.

The Government postponed a planned release for MIQ (Managed Isolation and Quarantine) rooms in March and April earlier this week, leaving many to wonder about the border’s future.  Additionally, Hipkins has hinted at big movements in the first half of 2022.

He said the plan will be driven by a desire to keep contagious persons out of the community, particularly those travelling from outside, in order to avoid seeding instances and explosive outbreaks.

The government would nonetheless proceed to a “self-isolation” paradigm, in which people are instructed to stay at home to ensure they are not contagious, rather than relying on MIQ.

While Omicron is spreading fast in other parts of the world and New Zealand has only limited cases right now, however, this will change rapidly if New Zealanders follow the self-isolation paradigm.

At this moment, no decision has been taken, but Hipkins said that the Cabinet has acknowledged that the decision cannot be postponed indefinitely.

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