New Zealand is arguably the country that has done the most to protect its citizens from coronavirus. The country's borders were almost completely closed and all those who entered the country had to go through a controlled quarantine.Many people have asked about New Zealand's plans to lift travel restrictions. We now have an answer.New Zealand will open its borders to the world in 2022Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of Australia, has presented the country's plans for lifting travel restrictions. The country's priority for the second half 2021 is to get all residents vaccinated. All adults will be eligible for the vaccine by September 1. What about travel?The plan is to open borders gradually with a risk-based system starting in 2022. Each pathway will be assigned a risk level and will require isolation and testing.Quarantine will not be required for travelers who are vaccinated from low-risk nations.Travellers vaccinated from countries with medium risk will need to be either self-isolated or in a quarantine facility.Travelers who are vaccinated from high-risk nations will need to go through a 14-day managed quarantineAll non-vaccinated travelers must also complete a 14-day managed quarretTravelers will still need to pass testing before and after their departure. Details are still being worked out.New Zealand will conduct a pilot for self-isolation in the fourth quarter of 2021 to evaluate the medium-risk approach. The country will also test whether people from certain countries have been vaccinated at home.In 2022, New Zealand's borders could reopenUnvaccinated travellers may not be able to travel to New Zealand again.New Zealand is hopeful that all travelers who have been vaccinated will be able to travel to New Zealand with the testing and no quarantine. However, there's no timeframe. It is interesting to note that there is no plan to allow unvaccinated travelers into New Zealand without a quarantine.It's perfectly fair, coronavirus should not be the exception.My view on New Zealand's reopening strategyNew Zealand has now made its plan for reopening its borders as concretely and clearly as it did up to this point. I have a few thoughts.Low-risk countries are places with low risk. This is similar to Australia before the current outbreak. Given that New Zealand has adopted a zero tolerance approach to coronavirus, I would guess that the risk assessment is different from what it would be for the United States and United Kingdom.The best we can hope for for the vast majority of people is to come from a country that has been rated as medium-risk. Even if you are vaccinated, it means that you will need to get tested for viruses and quarantined for a while. This will likely deter most tourists.New Zealand has canceled its travel bubble agreement with Australia. It doesn't sound like that will happen anytime soon. Instead, I think Australia could be placed in the low risk category in 2022, assuming that the situation improves.There is no one right way to handle a pandemic. But I do not believe there is. I believe that once everyone has an effective vaccine, then life will return to normal or at the very least to a normal level.We've seen different plans after vaccination in countries that have a zero tolerance approach.I admire Singapore's approach. The country kept its borders shut during the pandemic. However, it plans to open them soon and allow people to live with coronavirus.Australia continues to adopt a conservative approach. The country has kept its borders closed and doesn't have a timeline for when they might reopen.Singapore has a different approach when it comes to reopeningBottom lineNew Zealand will open its doors to tourists in 2022 after all residents have been vaccinated. Even if everyone is vaccinated, not everyone will be allowed into the country.New Zealand will initially allow only low-risk travelers to enter the country without quarantine. I would expect these to be people who are from low-risk countries and not from North America, Europe or Asia. However, those from high-risk countries will still need to go through some form of quarantine. Details are still being worked out.What do you think of New Zealand's plans to reopen its border?
