New Zealand lockout *

If you were thinking of making a business trip to New Zealand, or visiting friends/relatives in the kiwi country don’t plan on anything until next year.

New Zealand is planning to open its doors to vaccinated travellers from low-risk countries from early 2022, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced, signalling a possible relaxation of the country's anti-pandemic border controls.  In the meantime the country is in strict lockdown until midnight Tuesday.

If you currently need to fly between Australia and New Zealand a requirement will be to undergo 14 days in hotel quarantine and undertake various tests, not unlike those required by the British authorities.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced a roadmap to re-open Australia's borders in four stages once vaccination rates reached more than 70%.

Both Australia and New Zealand have struggled to vaccinate their population – currently only 23% of Australia's population over 16 years old have had both doses, while in New Zealand it is less than 20%.

All of Australia’s major cities are now in lockdown, in the case of Melbourne this extending to 200 days.  This has caused a campaign of civil disturbance by anti-lockdown protesters with the police intervening in Melbourne and Sydney.

www.newzealand.com/uk/travel-alerts

www.australia.com/en-gb/travel-alerts/coronavirus.html

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Malcolm Brown, Birmingham

Have we made no progress since the clipper ships. New Zealand was always a long way. Now it is even further.