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Coronavirus: New Zealand to eliminate pre-departure Covid-19 tests for incoming passengers
- Scrapping the requirement would bring New Zealand into line with a growing number of countries that have done away with Covid tests
- Travel and tourism industries have been pushing hard to allow vaccinated travellers to be avoid tests which must be supervised and are costly and disruptive
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Covid-19 test requirements for travellers heading for New Zealand look set to be scrapped from early next week.
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Facing increased pressure to do away with the costly and disruptive tests, it is understood the government is poised to eliminate the procedure.
An announcement could be made as early as Thursday that would require law changes and mean the tests could no longer be required by the start of next week.
A spokesman for new Covid-19 Response Minister Ayesha Verrall said the future of the tests had been discussed at Cabinet on Monday.
Scrapping the requirement would bring New Zealand into line with a growing number of countries that have done away with them. The United States has just eliminated screenings, joining much of Europe, Australia, many Pacific Island countries and growing numbers of Asian nations in no longer requiring tests.
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