The Ministry of Health is considering allowing overseas visitors into New Zealand if they either self-isolate in their own country or are tested for COVID-19 before arriving.
Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield says there would need to be confidence in the quarantine arrangements in their country of origin and they follow the same "strict" public health measures that are in place here.
"Anyone coming into the country needs to do so in a way that's complying with that 14-day quarantine or managed self-isolation, except on very rare circumstances where we can be very confident the risk is low," he said on Wednesday.
"Another option is - and we've seen some countries do this - is requiring testing before people depart from their departure point in a timely way."
But there's currently no plan to ease restrictions in the short-term to make it easier for travellers to arrive here.
"At this point in time, because the border is so important for us to keep the infection out of the country, we're maintaining the position that requires either quarantine or supervised isolation at one of our facilities that are set up in Auckland or Christchurch," he says.
Dr Bloomfield says testing for the virus is shifting to the border since "it's clear" there's no hidden virus in the community.
"[The border is] the area where we'll have the most risk. And there is a very specific plan that's being developed around that, which, once it's been through Cabinet and approved, is intended to come into operation from June 8."
He says the focus will be on testing people with symptoms and then identifying if there's been a virus breach at the border.
It comes as the Government considers a trans-Tasman bubble with Australia as a way for New Zealand to reenter international travel.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Tuesday she'd spoken with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison in the morning, and believes the two countries are both at a phase of easing restrictions and slowly opening up.
"We have said, between Prime Minister Morrison and myself, that we would look to the trans-Tasman bubble as a way of entering back into international travel, but also making sure that we get those border settings right."
She says the trans-Tasman bubble can occur while New Zealand is in alert level 2, and believes potentially opening up to another country will help measure whether the COVID-19 border controls are adequate.
"We've made a balanced decision, one that weighs up our desire to open up the economy but also not to risk going backwards.
"[But] it's not just about opening up travel, it's about testing our settings at the border, making sure we get it right."
