New, tougher border restrictions are expected to slash the number of Covid-19-positive returnees from India alone, by 75 percent.
The government has classified India as a "very high risk country" along with Pakistan, Papua New Guinea and Brazil, based on the number of people with Covid-19 arriving in New Zealand from each of the hot spots.
The new classification means only New Zealand citizens, their partners, children and parents of children who are NZ citizens will be able to travel directly from very high risk countries to Aotearoa.
Anyone else, including permanent residents, must have been outside the newly classified countries for at least 14 before travelling to New Zealand.
The new category comes into force at 11.59pm, April 28. And other countries will be added to list if their rate of Covid-19 cases is more than 50 per 1000 returnees.
The governments also changing the way MIQ operates by grouping returnees. Travellers arriving in New Zealand within a 96-hour window will go to the same hotel, until it fills up or the clock runs down on the 96 hours.
The hotel is then locked down - no new guests - until the very last person in that cohort finishes their isolation.
Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins says the groupings are based on time of arrival - not country of origin or flight.
