This archive report was first published on 21 December 2021.
December 21, 2021
As countries in the Asia Pacific region grapple with the threat of the Omicron variant, New Zealand has announced a significant delay in its phased border opening. The government has pushed back the planned reopening to the end of February, a move that reflects the country's cautious approach to managing the pandemic.
Additionally, New Zealand has postponed its plans to allow citizens living in Australia to return without quarantining, which was initially set to start on January 17. The new timeline now sees the program commencing at the end of February.
The decision comes as New Zealand has detected 22 cases of Omicron in international arrivals, but no community cases of the variant have been reported. In the event of an outbreak, the government intends to implement more targeted measures, rather than resorting to lockdowns.
According to Chris Hipkins, the Covid-19 response minister, the government's approach will focus on replacing lockdowns with more targeted measures, unless a widespread outbreak occurs and the health system becomes under considerable strain.
“It's not our intention to move to lockdowns unless that is absolutely necessary in the event of a widespread outbreak, where our health system becomes under considerable strain and the overall health risk becomes too much to bear,” he said.
Other measures to limit the spread of the Omicron variant include providing residents with access to a booster shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine sooner – at four months instead of six – after their second shot.
New Zealand is not alone in its efforts to contain the spread of the Omicron variant. Several countries in the region are tightening restrictions or considering tougher quarantine rules as cases of the variant rise.
In Japan, an outbreak of 180 cases at an American military base has raised fears of a resurgence. The government has asked the United States to increase restrictions on and around the base.
Thailand has also paused its quarantine-free travel program until January 4 due to concerns about the variant. In Indonesia, the government has banned entry by foreign nationals from several countries in Africa and Europe, and is considering increasing the quarantine period for Indonesian citizens arriving from those countries to 14 days from 10.
Meanwhile, in Australia, the Omicron variant is coursing through the community and has even reached Yulara, a remote community over 1,000 miles south of the nearest coastal city, Darwin. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has insisted that the country will not return to harsh lockdowns.
“Yes, we're going to need to continue to calibrate how we manage this virus and how we live with this virus in the face of Omicron,” Mr. Morrison said. But, he added: “We're not going back to lockdowns. We're not going back to shutting down people's lives.”
