New Zealand set to close its borders for the entirety of 2021

New Zealand looks fun these days

The country has managed to keep Covid-19 under control and its prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, also seems like an extremely competent leader - what a concept, eh? - reflected in her landslide re-election back in October. Ardern has attracted widespread praise for the way New Zealand has responded to the pandemic to date and she has now said that the country's borders are likely to remain closed for much of the year as health officials assess global vaccine roll-outs. New Zealand's borders have been closed (for the most part) since March 2020, and look set to remain that way for the majority of 2021. Ardern said: "Given the risks in the world around us and the uncertainty of the global roll-out of a vaccine, we can expect our borders to be impacted for much of this year." However, she said that the country will look to continue to pursue "travel bubbles" with Australia and Pacific island nations, which have also been successful at containing Covid-19. This weekend, 22,000 people attended a gig by popular New Zealand outfit Six60, with no requirement for masks or social distancing. Wouldn't that be nice? Though we'd take 90 minutes in a pub with a substantial meal at this point...