Amid global surge in Covid

Children aged under two would be exempt from predeparture testing. There were some other exceptions, such as those who could not have a test for medical reasons.

‘‘We have also decided that in rare cases, the requirement of a test 72 hours in advance may be extended to 96 hours if a person’s flight has been delayed or cancelled, or test results haven’t been received in time,’’ Hipkins said.

‘‘All travellers, including anyone exempted from the predeparture testing requirement, will still be required to complete the 14 days mandatory isolation which applies to all new arrivals into New Zealand.’’

Epidemiologist Michael Baker said pre-flight quarantines and testing should be considered to limit the number of infections coming into New Zealand.

‘‘The goal is no-one turning up in New Zealand who is infected,’’ he said.

A temporary suspension of travel from high-risk countries was ‘‘an option New Zealand has to look at’’, though Baker did not believe a full border closure was necessary yet.

There was also an argument that New Zealand should reduce the number of spaces in managed isolation each month in order to reduce risk and free up space in the event of a community outbreak.

Australia recently halved its managed isolation capacity to 10,000 people a month, less than the 12,000 spaces available in New

Zealand, despite a far larger population.

‘‘All of us feel really conflicted about how this could affect our fellow New Zealanders wanting to return home from overseas. It’s about balancing their needs and freedoms against the risk of an outbreak, which would be catastrophic for New Zealand,’’ he said.

He also wanted the Government to look into bringing forward vaccinations for border workers and flight crews.

‘‘All of us feel really conflicted about how this could affect our fellow New Zealanders wanting to return home . . .’’

Michael Baker Epidemiologist