Traffic light system scrapped: What it means for travel

The scrapping of the traffic light system means travel will largely return to its pre-pandemic normal from 11:59pm Monday night.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced Monday afternoon that it had decided to retire the system rather than tweak the settings or move the country to green. Here’s how travel will be affected.

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International travel

New Zealand will reopen to unvaccinated visitors.

Under the orange setting of the traffic light system, New Zealand citizens and residents and Australian citizens who lived in New Zealand were the only ones allowed to enter the country without proof they had been fully vaccinated against Covid-19, unless they had an exemption.

From 11:59pm Monday, no one entering New Zealand will have to provide proof of vaccination, including air crew.

Arrival tests scrapped

Arrivals are also no longer required to take rapid antigen tests (RATs) on day zero/one and day five/six of their time in Aotearoa. However, the Government still encourages them to do so.

Those who test positive for Covid-19 once in New Zealand will still be required to self-isolate for seven days, but their household contacts will not.

“Their household contacts will only be asked to undertake a daily RAT test before going about their life as normal,” Ardern said.

The Government will continue to offer follow-up PCR tests and genome sequencing of positive cases to travellers, which is considered an important part of monitoring for new variants.

“We’ll also use targeted surveillance at the border to check on new variants,” Ardern said.

All travellers to New Zealand will still be required to fill in the New Zealand Traveller Declaration form

before boarding a flight to Aotearoa.

Masks

Masks will no longer be required anywhere other than in healthcare settings and aged care facilities.

This means you will no longer have to wear a mask on domestic flights, public transport, Cook Strait ferries, Kiwirail services and in taxis and ride-share services. You can also go maskless at airports and transport terminals.

However, masks are still “encouraged” in confined settings such as public transport and when visiting people particularly vulnerable to Covid-19.

Ardern called upon Kiwis to “respect those who choose to keep wearing masks as a form of protection”.

The Prime Minister noted that this summer will be our first in three years without Covid-related restrictions.

“This will be the first summer in three years where there won’t be the question of ‘what if?’,” she said. “Where events won’t be cancelled because of Covid cases. Where our borders are fully reopened and there isn’t the fear of being separated or stranded. The first summer where we have our certainty. And that means, I hope, the Covid anxiety can start to heal.”