Lifting of strict isolation rules brings wave of relief – but some say being locked out has soured their view of ‘home’ forever
New Zealanders stranded overseas and desperate to return home have shed tears of relief they will soon be able to skip the country’s managed isolation system. But for many the news is bittersweet as they still face another summer separated from loved ones, amid anger that a decision did not come sooner.
The country will reopen its borders to vaccinated visitors in the opening months of 2022, for the first time since the prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, announced their snap closure in the first month of the Covid-19 pandemic. The country’s borders have been closed to unrestricted travel for more than a year and a half.
