The New Zealanders lost the only safe way to get home

The New Zealand government has been fighting the pandemic very hard since its outbreak. The country, with a population of approximately five million, has registered about 15,000 cases of covid-19 and only 52 deaths over the whole period . However, with the arrival of the coronavirus variant omicron, the local authorities are sounding the alarm.

The country’s borders are currently for almost all passengers closed and almost New Zealanders, who have to go through controlled isolation for ten days, can enter its territory. These are followed by self-isolation at home or in other accommodation. The country calls this system MIQ, Managed Isolation and Quarantine

But he is closing his door now , and so there are problems for many travelers. According to Chris Hipkins, the minister responsible for fighting the covid, the break should be only temporary. However, the authorities have not set a date for the vacancies in special isolation facilities. Citizens without a completed reservation do not even know when they will be allowed to return home.

“Compared to December, at the border to a tenfold increase in positive covid-19 cases. The seven-day moving average of ‘borderline cases’ is 33, “said in a Tuesday announcement published by MIQ. According to Hipkins, isolation facilities are under “extreme pressure” due to omicron infections.

“About the date, order and No decisions have been taken in the context of the reopening of the borders and the Cabinet will consider options over the next few weeks on the basis of the most up-to-date recommendations. Until then, we are not able to fill other MIQ posts, “the British newspaper The Guardian quoted the minister as saying.

travel through the MIQ system some New Zealanders choose to sail across the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand. However, this is a much more dangerous alternative, the media warns. The trips often take place on small boats or sailboats and last for several days. Passengers can fight wild waves, storms and seasickness.

An inexperienced crew with poorly prepared vessels thus risks human lives. Passengers arriving in the country by water, however, are quarantined on board the ship and must prove themselves before embarking on normal life.

Strict border restrictions are intended to prevent the virus from spreading uncontrollably, but they are also a source of anger or grief for those who want to enter the country. The lottery itself, which MIQ represents, is a nut and success in it is a coincidence. When the last vacancies at the beginning of January, 16,000 people applied to book one of the 1,250 vacancies

“All of us who are stranded overseas are somehow affected by this. We are all going through mental and emotional stress, “commented Maxine Strydom, who was stranded in Perth, Australia with her two children. He no longer has a job in the country. “Soon I will have no money, no house and no help.”

Professor Paula Lorgelly, who works in the United Kingdom, has been trying to plan its return home since 2021. The New Zealand government’s overall response to the pandemic is praised, but some conditions are a problem for it personally. “I am a little calm with the wait. But I hope it is a short-term pain over long-term gain. ”

The opening of the borders has been postponed by the New Zealand government several times. and given the current situation, it is still not clear when it will happen. For example, cutting off from the rest of the world is adversely affecting, for example, the supply of foreign labor to key export sectors such as dairy and fruit growing

According to Hipkins, New Zealand will now use the time when the borders remain closed to increase vaccination coverage. Almost four million eligible citizens over the age of 12, ie about 93%, have already been vaccinated with local doses . “Before omicron spreads, we will focus on increasing the number of revaccinations and immunizing as many children aged 5 to 11 as possible,” he said Minister.