New Zealand is proposing to charge a small share of the people entering the country for some of the costs of their COVID-19 prevention quarantine.
The New Zealand government expects to pass legislation within the next few days to allow the cost recovery to proceed, New Zealand Minister of Housing and Urban Development Megan Woods said yesterday in Wellington, adding that regulations could be in place within two or three weeks.
New Zealanders who return for less than 90 days would incur the charges, as would those who travel overseas and need to quarantine on return. There would be exemptions to allow for waivers on compassionate or economic grounds, Woods said.
Photo: Bloomberg
The cost would be NZ$3,100 (US$2,060) per adult.
New Zealand’s borders are closed to all foreigners, while citizens and permanent residents entering the country must undertake a 14-day mandatory quarantine. So far more than 32,000 people have passed through the system, which is estimated to have cost the nation about NZ$480 million. The intention to recover some of those costs has come under fire because it could impede the ability of New Zealanders to enter their own country.
“We are carefully balancing the rights of New Zealand citizens and residents to return home and the charges structure will be designed to maintain this right,” Woods said.
The proposal is expected to affect about 3,000 travelers and generate less than NZ$10 million of revenue, she said.
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
A Croatian town has come up with a novel solution to solve the issue of working parents when there are no public childcare spaces available: pay grandparents to do it. Samobor, near the capital, Zagreb, has become the first in the country to run a “Grandmother-Grandfather Service,” which pays 360 euros (US$400) a month per child. The scheme allows grandparents to top up their pension, but the authorities also hope it will boost family ties and tackle social isolation as the population ages. “The benefits are multiple,” Samobor Mayor Petra Skrobot told reporters. “Pensions are rather low and for parents it is sometimes
CANCER: Jose Mujica earned the moniker ‘world’s poorest president’ for giving away much of his salary and living a simple life on his farm, with his wife and dog Tributes poured in on Tuesday from across Latin America following the death of former Uruguayan president Jose “Pepe” Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter revered by the left for his humility and progressive politics. He was 89. Mujica, who spent a dozen years behind bars for revolutionary activity, lost his battle against cancer after announcing in January that the disease had spread and he would stop treatment. “With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica. President, activist, guide and leader. We will miss you greatly, old friend,” Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi wrote on X. “Pepe, eternal,” a cyclist shouted out minutes later,
CONTROVERSY: During the performance of Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael’s song ‘New Day Will Rise,’ loud whistles were heard and two people tried to get on stage Austria’s JJ yesterday won the Eurovision Song Contest, with his operatic song Wasted Love triumphing at the world’s biggest live music television event. After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s 2014 triumph. After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed running into yesterday morning, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356. “Thank you to you, Europe, for making my dreams come true,” 24-year-old countertenor JJ, whose
RSS