‘Light at the end of the tunnel’: New Zealand welcomes border reopening plans

Health experts warn that reopening hinges on Covid vaccine programme reaching vulnerable communities

• New Zealand to pursue Covid elimination strategy indefinitely, says Ardern

New Zealand's much-awaited, albeit cautious, roadmap for reopening its borders has given businesses and families a taste of hope for the future, though health experts warn that it is dependent on improving the country's vaccination strategy to reach vulnerable communities.

The prime minister Jacinda Ardern laid out the reopening plans at a forum in Wellington on Thursday, 17 months after borders closed in March 2020.