WELLINGTON, New Zealand—New Zealand on Thursday said it would reopen its border gradually over the course of 10 months, restarting a plan that was put on hold by the Covid-19 Omicron variant.

The cautious reopening will begin Feb. 28—nearly two years after the South Pacific country sealed its border—by allowing New Zealanders in neighboring Australia to return home without entering a two-week quarantine. It will broaden in mid-March to New Zealanders anywhere in the world and skilled workers.