The Government is seeking urgent advice on self-isolation requirements for international arrivals which will be music to the ears of tourism operators.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told Newshub Nation's Simon Shepherd on Saturday she has asked her team of advisors for "rapid advice" on isolation periods for those coming across the border.
"Our self-isolation periods will continue to change, and we signalled that at the time we announced all our changes. We've actually asked our team of advisers we're using, led by Professor David Skegg, to give us rapid advice on isolation periods for those coming in at the border. We're expecting it shortly."
Ardern said she didn't expect Cabinet to make a decision as soon as Monday, but once the advice is received, the Government will "turn it around quickly because all of those decisions have been very clearly based on science".
Her comments came after Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield told AM on Friday the COVID-19 public health risk was "higher here in the community with what has become quite a rapidly growing Omicron outbreak, compared with those people coming across the border".
More than 12,000 new community cases were registered by the Ministry of Health on Friday, compared to just 19 at the border.
Ardern told Newshub Nation: "When we can move, we will. We know that it will make an absolute difference not only to Kiwis coming home, but to the visitors we want back on our shores."
Sunday, February 27, marks the first day Kiwis arriving from Australia can enter New Zealand without having to spend time in state-run managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ).
It's the first phase of the Government's reconnecting plan that will see all New Zealanders and key visa holders able to start to enter the country over the coming three months without having to secure a room via the MIQ lottery.
But arrivals, who will have to provide evidence of a negative COVID-19 test result before they can fly, will need to self-isolate for seven days upon arrival in New Zealand.
It doesn't align with the third phase of the Government's Omicron plan which came into effect this week after the number of daily cases surpassed 5000. Only household contacts have to be isolated now.
Dr Bloomfield acknowledged the border decisions were made when it was too early to tell what would happen with the Omicron outbreak.
"Remember the dates around that first day for opening up were set some weeks ago and we didn't, at that time, know how the Omicron outbreak would play out," he told AM.
"As it transpires here we are just a few days short of the 27th and we are moving to phase 3 so now is exactly the right time to reconsider."
Scrapping self-isolation rules for arrivals, which Australia has already done, couldn't come soon enough for the struggling tourism industry.
"Almost every day we are hearing of more tourism business closures," Tourism Industry Aotearoa (TIA)'s Ann-Marie Johnson said last week.
A TIA survey found that 66 percent of respondents said the operating environment was "extremely difficult" due to the loss of international tourists, who would be unlikely to travel to New Zealand knowing they would have to self-isolate for a week at their own expense.
"Operators who have survived for the last two years are now facing their greatest challenges at a time when they expected to be looking forward to recovery," Johnson said.
Shepherd pointed out to Ardern that self-isolation is keeping not only tourists away, but the airlines are not committing to New Zealand because of the policy.
Ardern responded: "We're well aware of the timelines that airlines are working to. What we want to make sure is that, you know, we get New Zealand through this, what will be a difficult few weeks. But then things will change more quickly than I think people appreciate."
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