New Zealand national carrier suspends new bookings for flights into country

New Zealand’s national carrier has put a temporary hold on new bookings for flights into the country while the government tries to find enough quarantined hotel rooms for people returning home.

Air New Zealand says the hold will last for three weeks and it is also trying to better align flights with the hotel locations.

The country has eliminated community transmission of coronavirus but is still getting cases at the border.

For the most part, only residents and citizens are able to fly into the country and must remain in a quarantined hotel room for 14 days.

Housing Minister Megan Woods says the government is currently housing nearly 6,000 people in 28 quarantine facilities and is seeing rapid growth in the number of returning residents as the pandemic worsens globally.

New Zealand was one of 73 countries and territories included in a list published on Friday by the UK Government as places English holidaymakers can visit without self-isolating on their return.