New Zealand Closes Border to All Non-Residents in Historic Move
A sign saying washing and drying your hands kills the virus is seen at Christchurch International Airport in New Zealand on March 18.
Photographer: Kai Schwoerer/Getty Images
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New Zealand will close its border to all non-residents for the first time in the nation’s history, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said.
To protect New Zealanders from the coronavirus, from 11:59 p.m. New Zealand time tonight non-residents will no longer be permitted to enter the country, Ardern said at a press conference in Wellington on Thursday. New Zealand citizens and permanent residents abroad will be able to return along with their children and partners, she said.