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New Zealand will start accepting refugees again, nearly a year after the country closed its borders due to the corona pandemic. This is stated by the country’s migration agency.
The Jacinda Arden government has increased the number of refugees New Zealand can receive. Stock Photography.
The first refugees, 35 people, will arrive in February. By the end of June, about 210 refugees are expected to enter the country.
Everyone, like everyone who arrives in the country, will be quarantined for 14 days.
“With health regulations in place and safe travel routes, we are ready to welcome small groups of refugee families, such as New Zealanders, who can start their new lives here,” said Fiona Whiteridge, director of the refugee reception center, at a statement.
The government of Prime Minister Jacinda Arden has gradually increased the number of refugees the country can receive, and the goal was 1,500 a year, a level expected to rise in June last year. But the entire reception was canceled in March last year, when New Zealand closed its borders.
New Zealand, with some five million residents, has had 25 COVID-19-related deaths and fewer than 2,000 confirmed infected so far during the pandemic, and has been praised for handling the outbreak. In addition to travel restrictions, life continues as usual in the country.
