“I want to emphasize that while arrivals of COVID from India has prompted this measure, we are looking at how we manage high risk points of departure generally. This is not a country specific risk assessment…,” Jacinda Ardern was quoted as reported by Reuters.

The travel restriction came after New Zealand recorded 23 new positive coronavirus cases in managed isolation on Thursday, of which 17 came from India, the report said.

“This is not a permanent arrangement but rather a temporary measure,” Ardern said, adding that the temporary hold would also help reduce the risk that travellers themselves faced.

The suspension will begin from 1600 local time on April 11 and will be in place until April 28. During this time the government will look at risk management measures to resume travel, she added.

The temporary ban comes at a time when India has been reporting over 100,00 cases of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) daily for the past three days. The country’s total case tally has gone up to 12.8 million, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Meanwhile, New Zealand has set an example and has virtually eliminated the virus within its borders, and has not reported any community transmission locally for about 40 days, Reuters reported.

However, following a massive spike in cases in India, several states in the country have imposed restrictions on the travelling and have made it compulsory for passengers to carry a negative Covid-19 report while crossing borders. The government has speeded up the process of vaccination across the country to immunise more and more people against the virus.

At present, everyone aged 45 years or above is eligible to get the Covid-19 vaccine.