New Zealand eases quarantine but won’t welcome tourists yet

By NICK PERRY
Associated Press

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand will gradually loosen its border quarantine system, which has been among the toughest in the world throughout the pandemic. The changes will make it easier for New Zealanders stranded abroad to return home. But a date for tourists to be welcomed back hasn’t been decided and is likely still months away. From next month, most people arriving in New Zealand would need to spend seven days in a quarantine hotel run by the military, half the previous requirement of 14 days. Tourism had been among the nation’s largest earners of foreign income before the pandemic. A broader reopening of the country will depend on vaccinations.