Kiwis no longer have to go through quarantine to enter England
Britain will end coronavirus quarantines for people arriving in England from more than 50 countries, including Germany, France, Spain, New Zealand and Italy - but not the United States - the government said on Friday. Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government had debated for days how to ease the quarantine rules. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, which set their own health policies within the United Kingdom, have not announced plans to lift the measures. "Today marks the next step in carefully reopening our great nation," Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said. As the spread of the novel coronavirus slows in Europe, countries are reopening travel after more than three months of lockdown. Australia, New Zealand and Japan are included, as are Caribbean tourist destinations such as the Bahamas and Barbados, but popular holiday destination Portugal was not on the list. Nor were the United States, China, India or Russia. "The US from a very early stage banned flights from the UK and from Europe so there isn't a reciprocal arrangement in place," Shapps said. Britain's foreign ministry also set out exemptions from a global advisory against "all but essential" international travel, from July 4, a key to normal insurance being valid. The government said it expected countries included on the quarantine-free list to reciprocate by relaxing their own restrictions. The move to ditch the quarantine prompted three of Europe's biggest airlines, British Airways, Ryanair and easyJet to end a legal challenge against the government. Britain, with the highest COVID-19 death toll in Europe, is slowly reopening its economy. England and Northern Ireland will reopen pubs this weekend, and Scotland and Wales are expected to follow later in July. Johnson has warned people to maintain social distancing rules and is expected to repeat that caution at a news conference on Friday. "Anyone who flouts social distancing and COVID-secure rules is not only putting us all at risk but letting down those businesses and workers who have done so much to prepare for this new normal," he will say.
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Live Q&A: Garden maintenance with Crewcut
This Wednesday, we are having another Neighbourly Q&A session. This time with John Bracewell from Crewcut.
John Bracewell, former Black Caps coach turned Franchisee Development Manager and currently the face of Crewcut’s #Movember campaign, knows a thing or two about keeping the grass looking sharp—whether it’s on a cricket pitch or in your backyard!
As a seasoned Crewcut franchisee, John is excited to answer your lawn and gardening questions. After years of perfecting the greens on the field, he's ready to share tips on how to knock your garden out of the park. Let's just say he’s as passionate about lush lawns as he is about a good game of cricket!
John is happy to answer questions about lawn mowing, tree/hedge trimming, tidying your garden, ride on mowing, you name it! He'll be online on Wednesday, 27th of November to answer them all.
Share your question below now ⬇️
Calling All Puzzle Masters! Can You Solve This?
When John was six years old he hammered a nail into his favorite tree to mark his height.
Ten years later at age sixteen, John returned to see how much higher the nail was.
If the tree grew by five centimetres each year, how much higher would the nail be?
Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.
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Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.
What's your favourite recipe for courgettes?
Kia ora neighbours. If you've got a family recipe for courgettes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our January 2025 issue.