Call to ‘raft up’ with islands
New Zealand should open its borders to Covid-19-free Pacific Islands and Taiwan, and move to a user-pays managed isolation that could cater for larger numbers of arrivals even from riskier places, the New Zealand Initiative says.
Chief economist Eric Crampton has produced a report suggesting New Zealand ‘‘raft up’’ with other Covid-free countries, such as Tokelau, the Cook Islands, Niue and Taiwan. ‘‘While the country is now effectively free of the Covid-19 virus, with cases only in quarantine facilities, the pandemic rages abroad and is unlikely to abate any time soon.
‘‘Even if a vaccine is developed this year, scaling up its production will take time.’’ He said the decision to delay opening the border to the Pacific Islands while pursuing a travel-bubble arrangement with Australia had meant undue hardship for the islands.
‘‘In rough seas, kayakers take hold of each other’s boats for greater stability. New Zealand can and should ‘raft up’ with other Covidfree places to develop better practices for entry into the joined lifeboats, weather the consequences of the global storm and renew unhindered travel of people who pose no viral risk to others.
‘‘Direct travel between Taipei and Auckland by those who have not spent any time recently in a third country is not particularly more risky for spreading Covid-19 than travel between Auckland and Invercargill.’’ At the same time, he said, the managed isolation and quarantine system should be scaled up to allow noncitizen visitors from riskier locations, with additional checks such as postisolation testing and daily health check-ins. New Zealand should build stronger border capabilities and use a voucher system to help returning Kiwis pay for managed isolation, while operating as user-pays for others.
Crampton proposed that those wishing to come to New Zealand – citizens or not –be required before boarding their flight to present clear proof of a confirmed booking in one of the approved managed isolation facilities. If the traveller was an eligible returning Kiwi, they could then apply their voucher towards the full or partial cost of their stay in managed isolation. The value of the vouchers could be set at a level consistent with the cost of a stay at a basic facility and people could choose to top up the amount to stay somewhere else. Crampton said the Government paid about $3800 per arrival. People who were not citizens or residents would not receive a voucher. ‘‘And where many Kiwi citizens returning from Australia may resent the imposition of isolation requirements, that will not be the case for non-citizens arriving from risky places who rightly see New Zealand as an incredibly attractive lifeboat in sharkfilled waters.’’ Accommodation facilities would be free to set their own room fees but the Government would charge each facility for the full cost of police, military and other staff involved with managing isolation.
Crampton said this would make it far easier for returning Kiwis, and others, to manage their own arrivals while freeing the Government of the burden of scrambling to place arriving visitors into scarce spaces in managed isolation. It would also encourage facilities to shift into providing managed isolation services.
‘‘The present system is strained and struggling to accommodate need. But it must scale up substantially if Kiwis abroad choose to exercise their right to return home.’’
He said the system needed to change to allow in those who could help with the economic recovery, including students and people who could work remotely for overseas employers from New Zealand.