Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Thursday announced that New Zealand will temporarily suspend the entry for all travellers, including its citizens, from India for about two weeks from April 11 due to a surge in Covid-19 cases among visitors to this country. The ban will begin on Sunday and will remain in place until April 28, she said.
While arrivals from India had triggered the risk assessment, Prime Minister Ardern said the government would be looking at risks posed by other Covid-19 hotspot countries, the New Zealand Herald reported. The travel restriction comes after New Zealand recorded 23 new positive coronavirus cases in managed isolation on Thursday, of which 17 came from India, the report added.
“This is not a permanent arrangement but rather a temporary measure,” Ardern said, adding that the temporary hold would also help reduce the risk that travellers themselves faced. The ban covers all travellers, including New Zealand citizens and permanent residents.
While there…