Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has indicated the start date for letting returnees skip managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ) may be in jeopardy due to the Omicron variant. Handout New Zealand citizens and residents are able to return from Australia without having to enter MIQ from January 17. Announcing the plan on November 24, Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins assured travellers the first two dates had been “locked in”. READ MORE:* Covid-19: 'Inevitable' Omicron will arrive in MIQ, Chris Hipkins says* Covid-19 Omicron: Officials looking into extra border measures* Covid-19: Kiwis scuppering flights home in anticipation of border closingHowever, just days after the announcement, the World Health Organisation declared a new variant of concern, Omicron, had emerged. New Zealand still having MIQ in place meant there had been a “layer of protection” at the border against the new variant.

Source: Stuff December 13, 2021 16:33 UTC