Australia and New Zealand’s borders will be shut to anyone who is not a citizen or resident, in an escalation of both countries’ efforts to tackle the coronavirus.
“At no time in New Zealand’s history has a power like this been used, and I recognise how extraordinary it is,” New Zealand’s prime minister, Jacinda Ardern said on Thursday.
“We need to do this for the health of the country, and our people.”
New Zealand’s ban begins at midnight on Thursday. Australia’s begins at 9pm local time on Friday.
In New Zealand the ban will apply to all countries and nationalities, but the partners and children of New Zealanders would still be allowed in. Those bringing in freight on ships or planes will also be exempt.
In Australia, the prime minister, Scott Morrison, said the ban was being put in place because most of the cases of Covid-19 cases in the country had come from overseas. Anyone who is not a citizen, resident, or close family member of a citizen or resident, will be denied entry, he said.
“We have been thinking to align arrangements across the Tasman Sea and I appreciate the consultation that I’ve had with prime minister Jacinda Ardern in dealing with these issues,” Morrison said.
Citizens of Iran, China and South Korea have already been banned for a number of weeks in both countries.
Ardern said taking this new step had: “simply removed the risk”.
“I’m not willing to tolerate risk at our border, that is where predominantly our cases are coming from,” Ardern said, explaining that all 28 of New Zealand’s coronavirus cases had originated from overseas arrivals.
On Thursday, New Zealand’s foreign minister Winston Peters also followed Australia in elevating all the country’s travel advisories to level four, or “Do Not Travel”.
“This is the first time the New Zealand government has advised New Zealanders against travelling anywhere overseas,” he said.
“That reflects the seriousness of the situation we are facing with Covid-19.”
Both countries had already announced that all arrivals had to self-isolate for 14 days, including citizens.
Source: The Guardian
