Border controls
New Zealand, Australia tighten lockdown
WELLINGTON/MELBOURNE – New Zealand on Saturday announced the world’s tightest border controls to combat the spread of coronavirus, requiring all incoming travellers, including its own citizens, to self-isolate for two weeks starting midnight Sunday.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the extreme measures were needed to prevent the rapid spread of the virus.
“Alongside Israel, and a small number of Pacific Islands who have effectively closed their border, this decision will mean New Zealand will have the widest ranging and toughest border restrictions of any country in the world,” Ms Ardern said.
The country has just six confirmed cases and has had no deaths, but Ms Ardern said that number inevitably would rise.
“That is why ultimately, we must go hard and we must go early. We must do everything we can to protect the health of New Zealanders,” she told reporters.
People from small South Pacific Island nations, which have no confirmed COVID-19 cases, will be exempt from the self-isolation rule, Ms Ardern said.
And to protect those nations from the virus, New Zealand would impose strict exit measures, barring anyone who has been overseas from travelling to South Pacific islands for two weeks, and barring anyone who has had symptoms or been in contact with anyone with COVID-19 from travelling there.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who has called for an end to all non-essential gatherings of more than 500 people from today, cancelled plans to go to a rugby game on Saturday after a senior minister was diagnosed with COVID-19 on Friday.
Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton had attended a Cabinet meeting with Mr Morrison on Tuesday, but Australia’s chief medical officer Brendan Murphy said on Saturday it was “extremely unlikely” anyone at the meeting would have contracted the infection from Mr Dutton.
Australian Broadcasting Corporation showed footage on Saturday of cleaners in biohazard suits scrubbing the government offices in Sydney, floor to ceiling, where the meeting was held.