New Zealand to ‘fully reopen for business’ from August
Japan relaxes stance on mask-wearing outdoors and plans to allow in more international visitors
New Zealand will fully reopen to the world in August, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said yesterday, ending one of the toughest anti-pandemic border restrictions.
Border safeguards will be lifted fully and all pre-departure testing dropped from 11.59pm on July 31, with Ardern saying “New Zealand is in demand and now fully open for business”.
The controls dating back to March 2020 have been hailed as world-leading in some quarters, with New Zealand boasting one of the lowest coronavirus death rates among developed nations.
However, critics have decried the system as lacking flexibility and compassion, as well as curtailing the economy.
For much of the pandemic, all international arrivals had to undergo two weeks of quarantine in government-run hotel facilities patrolled by the military.
Those restrictions have already been dropped for New Zealand residents and travellers from nations with visa-free agreements. But the rest of the world had been told to wait until October.
Ardern told a business audience in Auckland that the date had been brought forward by more than two months as part of a raft of announcements to reinvigorate the economy – most notably the ailing tourism industry.
“This will be welcome news for families, businesses and our migrant communities. It also provides certainty and good preparation time for airlines and cruise ship companies planning a return to New Zealand in the peak spring and summer seasons,” she said.
New Zealand welcomed 3.9 million international arrivals in 2019, making tourism the country’s biggest pre-pandemic export earner, generating more than NZ$16 billion (HK$79 billion) annually.
Ardern also announced significant changes to immigration settings, hoping to attract workers to understaffed sectors such as engineering, health and IT.
Workers can have their residency applications fast-tracked and processed within 30 days if they are filling critical gaps. Visa extensions for around 20,000 migrants already in the country were also announced, along with a full resumption of international education from July 31.
“By helping to relieve urgent skills shortages, opening up tourism and putting our immigration settings on a more secure footing, we are building on our proven plan to secure New Zealand’s economic future,” Ardern said.
The New Zealand population is highly vaccinated but is currently experiencing an extended wave of Omicron infections. It has recorded 855 coronavirus-related deaths – that number having climbed considerably since lockdown rules were relaxed in March.
Meanwhile in Japan, the top government spokesman said people did not need to wear masks outside provided they were taking proper distancing precautions, after a medical expert floated the idea that face coverings were no longer necessary in outdoor settings.
Masks play a key role in lowering infection risks, so they should be worn when people cannot maintain distance outdoors, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said at a press conference in Tokyo yesterday.
But when able to keep a distance from others, people did not necessarily need to wear masks – especially considering the risks of heatstroke as temperatures went up, he said.
Matsuno was responding to questions about remarks made the previous day by Haruo Ozaki, head of the Tokyo Medical Association, who was quoted by local media as calling on the government to reconsider rules about wearing masks outside.
The call coincides with Japan’s plans to reopen the country to tourists, who have been shut out for most of the coronavirus pandemic.
Unlike other countries where mask mandates are hotly contested issues, the Japanese government has relied on the public to wear face coverings on a voluntary basis, with most people willing to do so given they have been a common accessory for those with colds or allergies since long before the pandemic.
Mask requirements have been easing worldwide in line with progress in vaccinations against Covid-19. The United States has lifted a federal mask mandate and the use of masks is no longer required in Britain and France.
“We recommend that people take off their masks outside as long as sufficient distance is maintained, especially when temperatures and humidity are high,” Matsuno said.
“Experts say high-risk behaviour, such as talking to people in proximity without masks, should be avoided. Proper mask-wearing is necessary if you cannot maintain enough distance with others outside and talk with them.”
Separately, the Sankei newspaper reported yesterday the government was planning to change its limit on international arrivals to 20,000 per day as soon as June 1, double the current 10,000. A final decision would be made after seeing whether infection numbers go up after last week’s so-called Golden Week holiday period.
The number of infections has been stabilising in Japan and the government is considering further relaxing border controls to bring them in line with those of the other Group of Seven countries. Curbs on activity imposed under a coronavirus state of emergency were fully lifted across the country in late March.