New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced on Saturday that all travelers will have to self-isolate on their arrival to New Zealand, apart from those coming from the Pacific Islands. She said the measures — in effect as of midnight Sunday — include New Zealanders. She said her country had been relatively unscathed by coronavirus so far, with six confirmed cases and no fatalities, but the evidence showed the numbers would inevitably rise in the face of a global pandemic. "But the scale of how many cases we get and how fast we get them is something we should do as much as we can to slow," she said at Saturday's news briefing. "We must go hard and we must go early." Ardern said the new restrictions would be reviewed by the authorities in 16 days. The prime minister also said that no cruise liners would be allowed to dock in New Zealand's ports until June 30. Meanwhile, New Zealanders have been advised to avoid all non-essential travel overseas. "There's no doubt this will have a significant impact on New Zealand's economy but our priority is to ensure we reduce the impacts of COVID-19 as much as we can," Ardern said. Ardern said essential air and ship deliveries would continue as normal. She said the restrictions were "about people, not products", stressing that there was no need for New Zealanders to "take a run on their supermarket". "If you don't need to travel overseas, then don't. Enjoy your own backyard for a time. Stop handshakes, hugs and hongi (a traditional Maori greeting in which people press their noses together). "We are a tough, resilient people. We have been here before," the PM added. New Zealand has already canceled several major events, including a memorial planned Sunday to mark the first anniversary of the Christchurch mosque shootings in which 51 people died. Ardern said more general restrictions on public gatherings would be imposed but details had not yet been finalized. — Agencies
