The Prime Minister is urging anyone who arrived in the country over the past two weeks to self-isolate in a bid to stop the spread of coronavirus.
It comes as the Government calls on the tens of thousands of Kiwis overseas to get back home as soon as possible - but for some it's not that easy.
Shayal Chand and Jordan Forrest were halfway through the trip of a lifetime: 18 months backpacking around the world.
"[We're] pretty gutted to have to end our holiday. We still wanted to keep going, but it's definitely the best call to come back," Forrest said.
Over four days they made their way from a little village in Albania, flew to Istanbul, then on to Singapore - and finally landed in Auckland.
"If we left it any longer, they would've completely closed it down - everything."
Eighty-thousand Kiwis are currently overseas, and the Government wants them home now.
But for some it's too late, as options to fly dry up. Elle Nilsson faced chaotic scenes as she tried to leave Peru.
"Having the panic of 'this is our last opportunity to get out of the country or else we are stuck here for 15 days' is definitely emotional and stressful," Nilsson told Newshub.
After backpacking through South America, she was due to start heading home today - but all her flights were cancelled.
"Unless the New Zealand Government can come with a plane, we're considering ourselves stuck."
The options for Kiwis trying to get home are now reducing dramatically. With more countries closing their borders, there are fewer flights arriving back - and no one is ruling out the possibility that no flights could land here in the very near future.
On Wednesday, the Australian Prime Minister turned that from a possibility to a probability.
"We are upgrading the travel bans on Australians, to level four for the entire world. That is the first time that has ever happened in Australia's history," Scott Morrison said.
"Do not travel abroad; do not go overseas - that is a very clear instruction."
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern echoed those sentiments.
"We have simply given the advice for Kiwis not to travel, to get rid of any non-essential travel - and I would say actually, there's very few reasons that I would've thought anyone should be considering travelling at this point."
That has major implications for Auckland Airport. Passenger numbers for Monday this week were down 44 percent on the same day last year, and are only expected to get worse.
"The situation is evolving very fast," explained Anna Cassels-Brown, Auckland Airport general manager of operations.
"They are problem-solving very rapidly, and responding and making plans for what could come next."
Kiwis around the world are doing exactly the same thing.
"It's bittersweet being back, but it's for the best," said Kiwi backpacker Shayal Chand.
Despite the disappointment, they're the lucky ones - and they know it.
