17 Jun 2022

No Covid-19 testing for border workers from 1 July

2:40 pm on 17 June 2022

Border workers will no longer be required to undergo Covid-19 testing from 1 July.

Drivers queue for Covid-19 testing by Māori health provider Te Oranganui in Whanganui.

Photo: LDR / Moana Ellis

With widespread community tranmission, border workers were no longer seen as a greater risk than infection in the general population, said the Ministry of Health in a statement.

"The revocation of the Required Testing Order (RTO), which provided the legal basis for the testing, is part of a wider move to ensure Aotearoa's public health measures remain proportionate to the risk that Covid-19 presents to the community," the statement said.

This comes a few days after the government announced it will scrap pre-departure tests from 20 June.