{"id":7383,"date":"2021-01-12T19:34:56","date_gmt":"2021-01-12T19:34:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiofree.org\/?p=149180"},"modified":"2021-01-12T19:34:56","modified_gmt":"2021-01-12T19:34:56","slug":"nzs-latest-covid-measures-branded-as-both-too-strong-and-too-weak","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2021\/01\/12\/nzs-latest-covid-measures-branded-as-both-too-strong-and-too-weak\/","title":{"rendered":"NZ\u2019s latest covid measures branded as both too strong and too weak"},"content":{"rendered":"
By Craig McCulloch<\/a>, RNZ News<\/a> deputy political editor<\/em><\/p>\n The New Zealand government is feeling the pressure from all sides on covid-19 with critics calling the latest border controls both too strong and too weak.<\/p>\n New rules, announced yesterday<\/a>, mean nearly all New Zealanders living abroad will soon have to show a negative covid-19 test before boarding their flight home.<\/p>\n Only travellers from Australia, Antarctica and some Pacific Islands will be exempt.<\/p>\n The Health Ministry is expected to announce a phased roll-out of countries affected over the coming weeks, beginning with the United Kingdom and United States from midnight Friday.<\/p>\n It is a shift in position for the government, which last year described blanket pre-departure testing as ineffective and unnecessary.<\/p>\n Covid-19 Recovery Minister Chris Hipkins said the government’s strategy had evolved in response to the global environment and a new strain of the virus running rampant abroad.<\/p>\n “More and more countries are now adopting pre-departure testing which makes it a lot more feasible,” Hipkins told RNZ.<\/p>\n “If only New Zealand was doing it, it would actually be very difficult for people to comply.”<\/p>\n\n