Two years after New Zealand first implemented border restrictions in response to Covid-19, the country plans a gradual reopening with new entry rules coming into effect next month.
Vaccinated New Zealanders in Australia can travel home from February 27 without having to book a stay in state-managed quarantine facilities.
This will be the first of five stages of gradual border reopening, with citizens from all around the world able to return two weeks later. Most tourists will have to wait until October to be allowed entry, said Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Thursday.
As one of the world’s most closed off countries, New Zealand has recorded only 53 deaths from Covid-19, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
But the country has faced criticism with many Kiwis effectively locked out of their own country. Now, as part of plans to live with the virus, a very gradual reopening of borders is set to commence.
Who can travel to New Zealand?
The border is currently closed to almost all travellers to help stop the spread of Covid-19.
Most people cannot go to New Zealand and many citizens who have been outside the country for nearly two years are desperate to get back, but face managed isolation and quarantine if they do so.
A limited number of travellers from the Pacific Islands of Niue, Samoa, Tokelau, Tonga and Vanuatu can travel to New Zealand, but only if they meet certain requirements.
Initial plans to ease border restrictions in January 2022 were pushed back to the end of this month because of concerns about the Covid-19 Omicron variant.
When will New Zealand's borders open?
The gradual reopening of the borders will start on February 27, when fully-vaccinated New Zealanders in the country will be able to travel freely to and from Australia.
On March 13, citizens will be able to return home quarantine-free, alongside some vaccinated skilled workers and backpackers.
In April, the country will welcome back more non-citizens with visas, such as international students.
Tourists will have to wait a little longer to explore the country’s deep valleys and crystal lakes. By July, non-citizens from visa-waiver countries – including Australia, the US and the UK – can travel if they are vaccinated. This could also happen before July said the prime minister on Thursday.
The rest of the world will be able to visit New Zealand from October, when border restrictions are set to be lifted and travellers can visit for tourism purposes with normal visa processing resuming.
Do you need to be vaccinated to travel to New Zealand?
Yes, you need to be fully vaccinated if you are a foreigner travelling to New Zealand.
Only those who have received a complete dose of an approved Covid-19 vaccine at least 14 days before arriving in the country will be allowed entry. A total of 33 vaccines approved by a government or approval authority are recognised for travel.
Citizens will be able to return without being vaccinated, but will enter mandatory state quarantine, alongside any high-risk travellers.
Air New Zealand and Qantas, two major airlines serving the country, have announced they will only allow vaccinated passengers on flights, or those with a genuine exemption. Children under 17 do not need to be vaccinated.
Will I need a negative PCR test to travel to New Zealand?
Negative pre-departure tests will be required for travellers. These must be taken no more than 42 hours before travelling.
On arrival in the country, travellers will be issued with three rapid antigen tests to be used for follow-up testing. Any positive test results will require a follow-up PCR test.
Will I need to quarantine if I travel to New Zealand?
Despite strict managed quarantine policies in place at the moment, New Zealand's reopening plans are all about quarantine-free travel.
However, travellers still have to self-isolate for 10 days, said Ardern on Thursday. This may be reduced to seven days in the future and will align with New Zealand’s system for managing close contacts of Covid cases.
Home isolation rules have been criticised by those in New Zealand's travel and tourism industry, who believe they will hamper international tourism.
Kevin Ward, chief executive of NZ Airports Association, said on Thursday: “We are really pleased for Kiwis who have been stuck overseas and want to return home, however the continuing requirement for self-isolation means New Zealand will remain essentially off the map for international travellers and many airlines. People do not want to fly to New Zealand if they have to spend their first week sitting in a hotel.”
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
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Basquiat in Abu Dhabi
One of Basquiat’s paintings, the vibrant Cabra (1981–82), now hangs in Louvre Abu Dhabi temporarily, on loan from the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
The latter museum is not open physically, but has assembled a collection and puts together a series of events called Talking Art, such as this discussion, moderated by writer Chaedria LaBouvier.
It's something of a Basquiat season in Abu Dhabi at the moment. Last week, The Radiant Child, a documentary on Basquiat was shown at Manarat Al Saadiyat, and tonight (April 18) the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is throwing the re-creation of a party tonight, of the legendary Canal Zone party thrown in 1979, which epitomised the collaborative scene of the time. It was at Canal Zone that Basquiat met prominent members of the art world and moved from unknown graffiti artist into someone in the spotlight.
“We’ve invited local resident arists, we’ll have spray cans at the ready,” says curator Maisa Al Qassemi of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
Guggenheim Abu Dhabi's Canal Zone Remix is at Manarat Al Saadiyat, Thursday April 18, from 8pm. Free entry to all. Basquiat's Cabra is on view at Louvre Abu Dhabi until October
The specs
Engine: 2.4-litre 4-cylinder
Transmission: CVT auto
Power: 181bhp
Torque: 244Nm
Price: Dh122,900
South Africa squad
: Faf du Plessis (captain), Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock (wkt), Theunis de Bruyn, AB de Villiers, Dean Elgar, Heinrich Klaasen (wkt), Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Morne Morkel, Chris Morris, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Duanne Olivier, Vernon Philander and Kagiso Rabada.
Tightening the screw on rogue recruiters
The UAE overhauled the procedure to recruit housemaids and domestic workers with a law in 2017 to protect low-income labour from being exploited.
Only recruitment companies authorised by the government are permitted as part of Tadbeer, a network of labour ministry-regulated centres.
A contract must be drawn up for domestic workers, the wages and job offer clearly stating the nature of work.
The contract stating the wages, work entailed and accommodation must be sent to the employee in their home country before they depart for the UAE.
The contract will be signed by the employer and employee when the domestic worker arrives in the UAE.
Only recruitment agencies registered with the ministry can undertake recruitment and employment applications for domestic workers.
Penalties for illegal recruitment in the UAE include fines of up to Dh100,000 and imprisonment
But agents not authorised by the government sidestep the law by illegally getting women into the country on visit visas.
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Building boom turning to bust as Turkey's economy slows
Deep in a provincial region of northwestern Turkey, it looks like a mirage - hundreds of luxury houses built in neat rows, their pointed towers somewhere between French chateau and Disney castle.
Meant to provide luxurious accommodations for foreign buyers, the houses are however standing empty in what is anything but a fairytale for their investors.
The ambitious development has been hit by regional turmoil as well as the slump in the Turkish construction industry - a key sector - as the country's economy heads towards what could be a hard landing in an intensifying downturn.
After a long period of solid growth, Turkey's economy contracted 1.1 per cent in the third quarter, and many economists expect it will enter into recession this year.
The country has been hit by high inflation and a currency crisis in August. The lira lost 28 per cent of its value against the dollar in 2018 and markets are still unconvinced by the readiness of the government under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to tackle underlying economic issues.
The villas close to the town centre of Mudurnu in the Bolu region are intended to resemble European architecture and are part of the Sarot Group's Burj Al Babas project.
But the development of 732 villas and a shopping centre - which began in 2014 - is now in limbo as Sarot Group has sought bankruptcy protection.
It is one of hundreds of Turkish companies that have done so as they seek cover from creditors and to restructure their debts.
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 4 (Gundogan 8' (P), Bernardo Silva 19', Jesus 72', 75')
Fulham 0
Red cards: Tim Ream (Fulham)
Man of the Match: Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City)
Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
Poacher
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