Covid border restrictions: Five ways overseas travel will change in 2022

2022 is the year border restrictions slowly ease for vaccinated travellers. Photo / Getty Images

This morning we were given our first glimpse into what our next trip abroad could look like.

During a forum titled "Reconnecting New Zealand to the World", the Prime Minister suggested that 2022 would be the year that more of us head overseas.

By next year the goal is to have a Covid vaccine offered to every New Zealander and an effective method of knowing travellers' vaccine history, and the government will trial a "phased reopening" of the borders for select travellers.

There will be a number of trials of new vaccine documents and modified isolation requirements, which would make travelling abroad easier.

"Once everyone has been offered a vaccine and good coverage, we'll move to a risk-based pathway of travel," she said.

If not throwing open the borders, it is a cautious but positive direction of travel.

Among the most welcome suggestions is that Kiwis might no longer need to book into MIQ facilities.

So, what are the top takeaways we can look forward to on our next trip abroad?

Isolation at home as an alternative to MIQ

Booking spaces in MIQ has always been a bottle neck on the number of seats flying into the country. The possibility of vaccinated travellers being able to isolate and test at home would greatly ease the pressure on MIQ, and also the experience of the traveller.

The Prime Minister announced that there would be a trial of home isolation from October to December. She stressed this would be very limited. It would be a question of "hundreds, not thousands" in the trial.

To take part in the trial you must be fully vaccinated, travelling for work with consent of your employer, and able to isolate alone.

There will not be the opportunity for families or groups to participate in this trial.

Vaccination passports and requirements

Digital vaccination documents are on the way.

This is not a surprise move. Currently New Zealanders have to request a physical "vaccination confirmation letter" from the Ministry of Health for overseas travel, which takes over 20 days to approve. Digital health documents are a way to speed up this process.

Overseas Travel Don't expect a hard and fast date for travel 'freedom day' any time soon. Photo / File

The "development of a Traveller Health Declaration and rapid border testing" would be prioritised, said the Prime Minister. Documents will be checked at the border.

"In the future this will be a completely digital platform, and the Ministry of Health are doing excellent work to develop this," said Ardern.

The new programme would be developed with the help of airlines and airports to establish a practical system.

It is also possibly the first glimpse of a way in which New Zealand could - eventually - be opened to the world.

The Prime Minister said it would "be used by New Zealanders going abroad as well as those coming into the country."

Why wait till the end of the year?

The goal for the end of the year hangs on many factors, such as developing and trialling systems. The main driver however is vaccine roll out.

"We're on track for everyone who wants to be vaccinated to have it by the end of the year," said PM Ardern.

The panel's advice to postpone the easing of border restrictions until 2022 would help give time to reach projected peak coverage. However, this was tempered with the advice that the fast mutating virus meant that total immunity "may never be achieved".

"We cannot keep border restrictions on forever, and to be absolutely clear we do not want to either," said the Prime Minister.

However the reopening of New Zealand was tempered by the speed at which other parts of the world completed their own vaccine programmes.

The vaccination effort would continue through 2022 and there are "some areas of the globe which will be unvaccinated for longer."

She said this was part of a move away from reliance on our borders for protection to the "individual armour" of the vaccine.

The panel said future promise of travel might help with the current vaccine drive.

"If you want to travel next year, then it's a good reminder to get vaccinated this year."

What about travel to Australia?

Many New Zealanders will have already enjoyed an overseas trip this year, while the transtasman bubble was in place.

This agreement has been paused until September following outbreaks across Australia.

The Prime Minister played down expectations that we would resume travel to Australia until many of the next steps were already in place.

"We won't open to Australia until there are no more uncontrollable outbreaks there," she said.

Sir David Skegg led the panel on how to Reconnect New Zealanders to the World. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Sir David Skegg, chair of the advising panel, said that the report was informed while watching the Australian outbreak develop.

"Delta is already here in MIQ," he said, "and it has implications for the bubble."

The epidemiologist said that his advice depends on both the development of the virus and Australia's reaction to it.

"I don't think anyone can be sure what will happen. If Australia gives up on elimination, we may have to treat it as a 'low risk country' like Singapore, which we would like to but cannot open up to."

Everything is subject to change

There was no hard and fast date given for any of these new measures.

It is more a collection of steps, which must be met before the phased easing of restrictions has even begun. Goals such as vaccination cover are a moving target. So don't expect a binding date for an overseas travel's "Freedom Day".

There was also the spectre that restrictions may come back and - in some scenarios - lockdowns.

"If Delta outbreaks it could mean a short sharp Level 4," warned the PM.

Even with a wide proportion of the population vaccinated, we would move hard and fast should there be an outbreak. This would mean little warning for travellers out or inbound.

"NSW was admired for the quality of their contact tracing," said Skegg. "They made a very unfortunate decision to delay their lockdown."

His advice was that elimination should continue to be the goal.

"The ultimate goal is to get to quarantine-free travel for all vaccinated travellers," said the PM.

However she would not be drawn on a date.

"We're not in a position to fully reopen just yet. When we move, we will be careful and deliberate," she said.