New Zealand Delays Reopening Border To Aussies Amid Fears Of Omicron Outbreak

New Zealand has postponed their phased border re-opening citing the rapid global spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

Initially scheduled to progressively open borders, starting with fully vaccinated kiwis living in Australia as early as January 17, Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins told reporters on Tuesday that it would be pushed back until the end of February.

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The move follows modelling released by NSW Health Minster Brad Hazard last week, predicting NSW could face 25,000 daily cases by the end of January.

“With NSW expected to report 25,000 cases a day by January, opening the border in mid-January is too dangerous,” Mr Hipkins said.

"All of the evidence so far points to Omicron being the most transmissible COVID-19 variant yet.

“But experts still don’t know how severe it is. So, while it’s sweeping the globe at a bewildering speed and appears to be the dominant variant, how sick it makes people and the impact it has on health systems is not yet fully understood.

“With over 70 countries around the world reporting Omicron cases and its high transmissibility, our plan is to get as prepared as we can by speeding up boosters and strengthening our border to keep Omicron out of the community for as long as possible.

Mr Hopkins said that more still needs to be done to keep residents safe ahead of opening borders.

"Parts of the world are going back into lockdown and experiencing major disruption, and with these extra steps we aim to keep Omicron at bay to ensure New Zealanders get the break they deserve, and businesses can remain open”.

"There's no doubt this is disappointing and will upset many holiday plans, but it's important to set these changes out clearly today so they can have time to consider those plans," he said.

It comes as New Zealand tightens the interval time between a second vaccine dose and the booster shot from six months to four.

New Zealand reported a further drop in cases with 28 infections reported on Tuesday.

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