Two weeks of quarantine before gigs

 Russell Howard is to become the first Northern hemisphere comedian to play New Zealand since lockdown.

The nation’s borders are currently closed to everyone unless there is a ‘critical purpose’ for their visit, approved by by the government.

That usually means strong family ties, or for vital medical work. But Howard has been given the green light to perform gigs in Wellington, Auckland and Christchurch on January 22, 23 and 25

However, he will have to quarantine for two weeks on arrival in the country before his shows, which come as part of his interrupted Respite world tour.

Howard said: ‘I’m very excited to announce that in January I'll be back on stage in New Zealand. Their government has allowed me in to perform, following two weeks of quarantining. 

‘My Australia dates have been rescheduled to July but I can't wait to get there"

New Zealand has been held up as an example of how to deal with the pandemic, with just 25 coronavirus deaths overall - its last being in September. 

The country recorded just four new cases of Covid-19 yesterday, all of whom are in ‘managed isolation’, not the community. In contrast, the UK recorded 506 deaths yesterday alone, bringing the total to 64,908.

Published: 16 Dec 2020