2020
February 28: First Covid-19 case reported in New Zealand.
March 18: The first Covid-19 cases in Dunedin are reported.
March 19: Borders close to all but New Zealand citizens and permanent residents.
March 25: New Zealand moves to Alert Level 4 at 11.59pm and the entire nation goes into lockdown.
March 29: New Zealand reports its first Covid-19 related death.
April 9: Managed isolation and quarantine facilities open at 11.59pm and all people entering New Zealand are required to enter MIQ.
April 27: New Zealand moves to Alert Level 3 at 11.59pm.
May 13: New Zealand moves to Alert Level 2 at 11.59pm.
June 8: New Zealand moves to Alert Level 1 at 11.59pm.
August 12: After 4 new cases of Covid-19 reported in the community the day before, the Auckland region moves to Alert Level 3 and the rest of the country moves to Alert Level 2.
October 5: The managed isolation allocation system goes live and from November 3 all travellers are required to have an MIQ voucher before flying to New Zealand.
2021
February 20: Vaccination rollouts begin for border and MIQ workers.
March: High-risk frontline workers begin vaccinations.
April 19: Quarantine-free travel with Australia opens.
April 30: Vaccinations become compulsory for all workers in MIQ settings, later expanded to most border workers.
May: People at risk of getting sick become eligible for vaccinations.
July 23: Quarantine-free travel with Australia suspended.
July 28: People in the general population start to become eligible for vaccinations.
August 17: All of New Zealand moves to Alert Level 4 at 11.59pm as the Delta variant is detected in the community.
August 31: New Zealand south of Auckland moves to Alert Level 3 at 11.59pm while Auckland and Northland remain at Alert Level 4.
November 17: My Vaccine Pass launched, which allows fully vaccinated people a greater level of access to events and locations.
November 15: Vaccine mandates announced for people in the health and disability sector, education services and prisons.
December 2: All of New Zealand moves to the Covid-19 traffic light protection framework, at 11.59pm, ending the level 1-4 Alert system.
December 16: A traveller from Germany via Dubai is the first detected case of the Omicron variant in New Zealand.
2022
January 23: All of New Zealand moves to the Red setting of the traffic light system at 11.59pm, and mask wearing becomes mandatory in most settings whenever leaving the house. Gatherings are restricted to no more than 100 people.
February 27: Fully vaccinated travellers to New Zealand from Australia begin self-isolation.
March 23: Limits on outdoor gatherings are scrapped altogether and indoor limits are increased to 200. Vaccine passes and QR code scanning are no longer required from April 4.
