The first tentative steps towards long flights
The Government’s move to adopt a more risk assessment-based strategy for the border is another useful step away from the early broad-brush pandemic rules.
New Zealand aims to reduce the number of infectious people arriving directly from India, Brazil, Pakistan and Papua New Guinea — recognising that particularly bad coronavirus outbreaks there warrant special measures.
That means allowing citizens to return but requiring permanent residents to take an indirect route home through quarantine elsewhere. Another major change is placing passengers in MIQ groupings based on time of arrival to reduce mixing.
This increasingly pragmatic approach is welcome. And as the country heads towards a point where — with vaccine protection — we can eventually manage outside contact, it needs to be matched with a public shift in attitudes.
A blanket wariness about allthings Covid has to be punctured so people can consider their own risk-management for when the virus is less of a threat but still hanging around.
The Prime Minister’s explanation last week about the Covid-19 infection of a border worker who was fully vaccinated was helpful messaging. Jacinda Ardern said the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine was doing its job. “[It] means it is still possible to get Covid, but it won’t make you nearly as sick or likely to experience, potentially, some of the disastrous consequences we have seen overseas.”
Full vaccination makes Covid a low-risk rather than no-risk prospect. Vaccination should, as is happening in Britain, reduce symptoms of infection and overall infection rates if people do their bit and get a shot.
For people here hoping to head overseas beyond Australasia on holiday next year there will be a lot to consider, especially if it involves long-haul travel and stopovers or transit.
A basic requirement would be the introduction of official rules allowing tourist travel for vaccinated people, perhaps with home isolation on return. Digital passes, airlines and cruises running “no-jab, no-joy” requirements, and insurance based on vaccination are likely to be part of it.
Secondly, there’s the decision on where to go. How well is the virus contained at the destination? Passengers will have much more to think about than luggage.