Passengers and loved ones reunite at the arrivals hall on the first day of New Zealanders returning from Australia after the border reopened for travelers observing home self-isolation rules, at the Auckland international airport on Feb 28, 2022. (DAVID ROWLAND / AFP)
MANILA / KUWAIT CITY / BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN / NEW DELHI / SYDNEY / WELLINGTON – Travelers to New Zealand will no longer need a COVID-19 pre-departure test from 11:59 pm, June 20, COVID-19 Response Minister Ayesha Verrall said on Thursday.
While the pre-departure test requirements are being removed, a set of border surveillance measures are kept in place for detecting any possible new variants of COVID-19
"We've taken a careful and staged approach to reopening our borders to ensure we aren't overwhelmed with an influx of COVID-19 cases. Our strategy has worked and as a result, it's safe to lift pre-departure test requirements much sooner than planned," Verrall said in a statement.
Around 90 percent of international arrivals undertake their required testing once they are in the country, with only a 2-3 percent positivity rate, she said, adding they don't anticipate a significant increase in border cases once the requirement is lifted.
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"Factors such as the availability of and cost of getting a test are increasingly becoming a barrier for people intending to travel here, especially as other countries wind back testing availability or the requirement for a test on entry themselves," the minister said.
While the pre-departure test requirements are being removed, a set of border surveillance measures are kept in place for detecting any possible new variants of COVID-19, she said.
In order to understand what new strains of COVID are arriving at the border, travelers will still be required to self-test on Day 0/1 and again on Day 5/6. If the result of either test is positive, they must then get a PCR test, she added.
Residents queue up outside a pharmacy for a COVID-19 vaccination in western Sydney, Australia, on July 30, 2021.
(SAEED KHAN / AFP)
Australia
Mask mandate at airport terminals will be lifted from Saturday in the state of Western Australia despite the continued increase of COVID-19 infections in the state.
Masks will still have to be worn on flights, but they will be voluntary when travelers are inside international and domestic terminals.
WA Premier Mark McGowan said on Wednesday that the removal is based on the latest health advice, but he still encourages people to keep a mask at hand.
"Masks may no longer be required in airports, but they're an easy and sensible precaution we can take to stay safe while around many others in transit," McGowan said.
"Masks and vaccination are our strongest defences against COVID-19 and the flu, so I encourage Western Australians to keep following the advice and maintain healthy hygiene to stay safe."
Workers wearing protective suits spray disinfectant at Suri Seri Begawan Raja Pengiran Anak Damit Mosque in an effort to counter the spread of the COVID-19 in Bandar Seri Begawan in Brunei on March 17, 2020. (PHOTO / AFP)
Brunei
Brunei reported 595 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, bringing the national tally to 154,728.
As a country of 420,000 people, Brunei has recorded more than 500 new cases for three straight days since June 13 after the government announced more eased control measures earlier this month.
Among the new cases, 589 cases were confirmed by Antigen Rapid Test (ART) uploaded to the government and six cases were detected from 318 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) laboratory tests performed in the past 24 hours.
As of Tuesday, 71.9 percent of Brunei's population have received three doses of COVID-19 vaccines.
The country also announced that the second COVID-19 booster vaccination is now open voluntarily starting Wednesday for those in specific categories, including healthcare workers and frontliners who are exposed to a high risk of infection.
The COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Sinopharm are administered in Brunei.
Currently, 3,279 active cases are being treated and monitored in Brunei, where 151,224 recoveries from COVID-19 have been reported.
A health worker takes a nasal swab sample of an elderly man to test for COVID-19 during a door to door testing drive in Gauhati, India, June 4, 2021. (ANUPAM NATH / AP)
India
The number of new COVID-19 cases per day in India continues to increase at a fast pace with 12,213 new cases recorded during the past 24 hours, showed data released by the federal health ministry on Thursday.
This was the first time in the past couple of months that the number of new cases per day crossed the 10,000-mark.
According to official figures released by the federal health ministry, the rate of increase in the number of new COVID-19 cases over the past two days has been around 35 percent. The number of new cases registered per day has almost doubled over the past two days.
So far, India's COVID-19 tally has stood at 43,257,730.
Fiji
Fiji has re-opened its international border to cruise ships with additional measures to reduce risks following a ban of over two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
All travelers aged 16 years and above, both cruise passengers and crew members, are required to be fully vaccinated with a Fiji-recognized COVID-19 vaccine and a rapid antigen test taken within 24 hours prior to disembarkation at Fijian ports.
The measure announced on Wednesday also includes a valid medical travel insurance policy with international coverage of COVID-19.
According to the COVID-19 Risk Mitigation Taskforce, welcoming cruise ships back into Fijian waters is a key facet of Fiji's ongoing economic recovery.
A boy receives a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine at a vaccination centre at the Kuwait International Fairground in Kuwait City on Feb 3, 2022. (YASSER AL-ZAYYAT / AFP)
Kuwait
Kuwait health authorities said Wednesday that despite an increase in COVID-19 infections, the health situation in Kuwait remains stable, and taking precautionary measures would reduce the chances of infection.
Health Ministry Spokesman Abdullah Al-Sanad said the recent increase in COVID-19 infections around the world and in the Gulf region including Kuwait should not cause any alarm in the emirate, adding that none of the existing patients in Kuwait were under intensive care.
He called on the public to take precautionary measures to reduce the chances of infection, saying individuals with respiratory symptoms should conduct self-isolation, children should not go to summer clubs, and people traveling abroad need to avoid enclosed or crowded spaces.
The Kuwaiti government has decided to lift all COVID-19 restrictions since May.
A passenger sits inside a bus next to signage that reads "No Vaccine No Ride" in Quezon City, suburban Manila on Jan 17, 2022, as the Philippine government banned unvaccinated people from using public transport amid a record surge in coronavirus cases. (JAM STA ROSA / AFP)
The Philippines
Philippine health authorities on Wednesday urged people to remain vigilant amid an uptick of COVID-19 infections in Metro Manila and some parts of the country.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said Metro Manila, with averaged 170 infection cases daily in the past two weeks, "maintains a sharp increase."
However, she said the situation is not problematic, adding that the rise in cases is not sustained and the hospitalization rate remains low.
She said that the areas outside the Philippine capital, except Mindanao in southern Philippines, also showed an uptick in cases.
Vergeire said that more than half of hospital admissions are symptomatic and mild, and only 11.3 percent of the total admissions are severe and critical.
Vergeire said there is still no need to tighten the pandemic restrictions. Most parts of the country, including Metro Manila, are now under alert level 1 on a scale of 5 due to slow infections.
The Philippines has reported nearly 3.7 million confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 60,461 deaths. The Southeast Asian country reported the highest single-day tally on Jan. 15 this year, with 39,004 new cases.