Coronavirus: New Zealand to bar entry to foreigners travelling from mainland China

New Zealand announced on Sunday it would bar entry into the country from all foreign nationals arriving from mainland China due too the increasing threat from the coronavirus epidemic.

The ban is in effect from Monday and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade also raised its travel advice to New Zealanders for all of mainland China to “Do not travel”, the highest level.

“We have been advised by health officials that while there are still a range of unknowns in the way the virus is being transmitted, we should take a precautionary approach,” New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said in a statement.

New Zealand citizens and permanent residents returning to New Zealand can still enter the country, as can their immediate family members, but will be required to self-isolate for 14 days on arrival back in the country.

The ban will be in effect for up to 14 days, reviewed every 48 hours and includes all foreign travellers who leave or transit through mainland China after February 2.

The coronavirus, known to be transmitted between humans, has already spread as far afield as Japan, North America, Europe and the Middle East – prompting the WHO to declare the outbreak a global health emergency.

The United States, the European Union, Russia, Australia and Singapore have banned or restricted the entry of Chinese citizens, and any foreigners that have recently visited China, to curb the spread of the virus.

Philippine media reported that President Rodrigo Duterte was set to issue a temporary travel ban on visitors from China, including Hong Kong and Macau.

That came as the country reported the first coronavirus death outside China.

Additional reporting by Bloomberg