This handout picture taken and released on Nov 11, 2021 by APEC New Zealand shows New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern (center) speaking during her opening address at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation CEO Summit in Wellington. (JEFF TOLLAN / APEC NEW ZEALAND 2021 / AFP)
SEOUL / HANOI / YANGON / TOKYO / AHMEDABAD / WELLINGTON / KUALA LUMPUR / MANILA – New Zealand is bringing forward the opening of its international borders to some travelers after more than two years of COVID-19 isolation, with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern saying an influx of tourists will boost the nation's economy.
Tourists from visa-waiver countries including the United States, Britain and Singapore will now able to visit from May 1
The change means the end of some of the toughest border controls in the world during the COVID-19 pandemic, imposed as the government tried to keep the coronavirus out, comes months ahead of the previous schedule.
New Zealand's policies helped keep infections and deaths low. But with the Omicron variant now rampant, criticism has grown as business, particularly tourism, and agricultural sectors see little value in staying shut off from the world.
Ardern told reporters on Wednesday that vaccinated travellers from Australia, New Zealand's biggest source of tourists, can enter without the need to quarantine from April 12 rather than July as previously planned.
Tourists from visa-waiver countries including the United States, Britain and Singapore will now able to visit from May 1.
"Closing our border was one of the first actions we took to stop COVID-19, over two years ago, and its reopening will spur our economic recovery throughout the remainder of the year," she said.
The changes mean Australians will be able to travel to New Zealand in time for Easter school holidays next month.
All visitors must be vaccinated and provide negative COVID-19 tests, but would not have to quarantine on arrival. The border is not scheduled to fully reopen until October to all travelers, but Ardern said this could also yet be brought forward.
Foreigners were previously banned outright from entering, and until the last month citizens looking to return had to either make emergency requests to the government or secure a spot in state quarantine facilities.
All visitors must be vaccinated and provide negative COVID-19 tests, but would not have to quarantine on arrival
"While we know it will take some time to see tourism scale up again, today's announcement will be a welcome boost for our tourism operators who have done it harder than many," Ardern said.
Closed borders have had a significant impact on the economy, cutting off the supply of seasonal laborers from Pacific nations and reducing air shipping options, as well as halting international tourism.
Prior to border closures, tourism directly contributed around 5.5 percent of GDP, or around NZ$41 billion ($28 billion). A further NZ$11 billion was indirectly generated by the sector.
A return to pre-COVID-19 tourism levels remains a long way off.
Lynda Keene, chief executive at the Tourism Export Council of New Zealand, said Australians are more likely to visit than other nationalities, and tourist numbers are not expected to return to pre-COVID-19 levels until the year ending May 2026.
In this Dec 11, 2020 photo, a health worker takes a swab sample from a woman to test for the COVID-19 coronavirus at a testing centre in Srinagar, India. (TAUSEEF MUSTAFA / AFP)
India
India started administering on Wednesday doses of COVID-19 vaccine to young people aged between 12 and 14 as public and private schools re-opened.
The government aims to swiftly expand vaccine coverage by also dropping a restriction on booster doses for those older than 60 only if they had a co-morbidity condition.
The children, estimated by the government to number 50 million, will receive the Corbevax vaccine, made by Biological E, a domestic firm that secured emergency approval for its use in children.
Wednesday 2,876 new infections took India's tally of COVID-19 cases to 42,998,938, while the number of active cases dipped to 32,811, the health ministry said. The death toll stood at 516,072.
People wearing face masks due to COVID-19 travel on a Setagaya Line tram decorated with "maneki-neko" or beckoning cat statue images in Tokyo on Jan 30, 2022. (PHILIP FONG / AFP)
Japan
Japan is set to announce on Wednesday the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions imposed on Tokyo and 17 other prefectures as a wave of infections caused by the Omicron variant continues to ebb.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is scheduled to speak at 7 pm, when he is expected to announce the lifting of curbs on March 21, along with a further easing of border measures, local media reported.
After a slow start, the government's COVID-19 vaccine booster program has accelerated, with about 71 percent of Japan's vulnerable elderly population having received a third dose.Tokyo logged 7,836 coronavirus cases on Tuesday, down 12 percent from a week earlier. An Omicron wave led to record infection rates in the capital and throughout Japan in February, the nation's deadliest wave of the pandemic so far.
The so-called quasi-state of emergency curbs currently applied in 18 of Japan's 47 prefectures center on limiting hours for eateries and other businesses.
Officials in the western prefecture of Osaka had considered requesting an extension of the restrictions due to high hospitalizations, but ultimately decided to let them expire, the Kyodo news service reported.
The measures have had an impact on the economy, particularly the service sector.
Kishida is also likely to announce a raising of the limit on daily arrivals in Japan to 10,000 from April, from the current 7,000, media have said, the latest step in relaxing tough border regulations that have drawn criticism from businesses and educators.
Malaysia
Malaysia reported 26,534 new COVID-19 infections as of midnight Tuesday, bringing the national total to 3,872,135, according to the health ministry.
There are 691 new imported cases and 25,843 local transmissions, data released on the ministry's website showed.
A further 95 deaths have been reported, bringing the death toll to 33,994. The ministry reported 31,234 new recoveries, bringing the total number of cured and discharged to 3,533,994.
This photo taken on Oct 17, 2021 shows healthcare workers preparing food for patients with the COVID-19 coronavirus at a health centre in Demoso township in Myanmar's Kayah state. (STR / AFP)
Myanmar
Myanmar's Ministry of Health on Tuesday issued an order to increase the maximum size of public gatherings from 200 people to 400.
The ministry said the maximum ceiling of 400 people is to be allowed at public gatherings starting from March 16 excluding unpermitted ones as COVID-19 cases and death toll has significantly declined in the country.
The Southeast Asian country previously raised the maximum number of people allowed at religious occasions, weddings and funerals from 100 to 200 on Dec 30, and from 50 to 100 on Oct 29.
As of Tuesday, Myanmar has recorded 606,910 confirmed coronavirus cases with 19,414 deaths. The daily positivity rate on Tuesday was 2.91 percent.
Singapore
Singapore reported 15,851 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, bringing the total tally to 964,329.
Of the new cases, 1,935 were detected through PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests and 13,916 through ART (antigen rapid test) tests, according to statistics released by the Ministry of Health.
A South Korean election official wears protective gear to guide voters infected with the COVID-19 coronavirus at a polling station for the presidential election in Seoul on March 9, 2022. (JUNG YEON-JE / AFP)
South Korea
South Korea reported a record 400,741 new daily COVID-19 cases, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said on Wednesday, as the country seeks to further ease social distancing rules despite a wave of Omicron infections.
A child receives the Pfizer-BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5-11 as a performer dressed as superhero character Spider-Man looks on at a gym in San Juan City, suburban Manila on Feb 7, 2022. (TED ALJIBE / AFP)
The Philippines
The Philippines has loosened entry restrictions for all fully vaccinated foreign nationals visiting the country starting this month, the Philippines' Bureau of Immigration said on Wednesday.
In an advisory, which was effective immediately and signed by Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente, foreign nationals coming from visa-required countries and regions need to secure an "entry exemption document" before visiting the Philippines.
Morente said foreign nationals must also be fully vaccinated, except for children below 12 years old traveling with their fully vaccinated parents.
The travelers must present proof of vaccination and a negative RT-PCR test taken within 48 hours before departure from the country of origin. Upon arrival, the traveler must also self-monitor for seven days.
The new policy widened the number of travelers allowed to enter the Southeast Asian country famous for white-sand beaches, diving resorts, and century-old heritages.
On Monday, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said that the Philippines is now open to all foreign tourists, adding that Philippine embassies and consulates' resumption of visa issuances will also start on April 1.
On Feb 10, the Philippines reopened its doors to foreign tourists from 157 countries and regions with the visa-free arrangement after almost two years of pandemic lockdown.
Department of Tourism data showed that as of March 9, nearly 77,000 foreign travelers arrived in the country.
A man passes walks past a billboard on the COVID-19 coronavirus in Ho Chi Minh City on Dec 4, 2021. (NHAC NGUYEN / AFP)
Vietnam
Vietnam on Tuesday fully reopened its borders for international tourists, its tourism authorities said.
At a press briefing held Tuesday, general director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism Nguyen Trung Khanh said foreign nationals can now enter Vietnam by air, land and sea through all border gates as long as they meet the COVID-19 prevention and control requirements, Vietnam News Agency reported.
Prior to this policy, foreign tourists could only travel to Vietnam by air after booking a tour package with a designated travel agency under a vaccine passport program. Despite being offered a quarantine waiver, foreign tourists were restricted to visit just a few localities with the process heavily monitored.