Health Minister Greg Hunt announced Australia will be closed to quarantine-free flights from New Zealand after a positive case was confirmed there.
Australia has put a stop to the one-way New Zealand travel bubble for 72 hours after a South African variant of COVID-19 was detected in a woman after 14 days of isolation.
Since October, New Zealanders have been able to travel to Australia quarantine-free if they have been in NZ for 14 days or more and not been in a designated hotspot.
What happened?
On Sunday, NZ health authorities revealed a 56-year-old Northland woman had tested positive for the virus after completing her 14-day isolation after arrival in New Zealand.
The woman returned two negative tests while in her compulsory hotel stay, and was released on January 13 before travelling around the region with her husband.
Health Minister Greg Hunt told reporters in Canberra on Monday all passengers from New Zealand with a flight scheduled in the next 72 hours should reconsider their need for travel.
“They will, as a consequence, have to go into hotel quarantine, or such other arrangements as individual states may implement, for up to 14 days, but for a minimum of 72 hours and to have a test,” Mr Hunt said.
“Anyone who has arrived in Australia on a flight from New Zealand on or since January 14 is asked to isolate and arrange to be tested and to remain in isolation until they have a negative test.”
Greg Hunt, Health Minister
Deputy Chief Medical Officer Michael Kidd said the South African variant was “more transmissible and presents a heightened level of risk”.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has spoken with his NZ counterpart Jacinda Ardern about the change and border authorities are seeking to communicate with passengers.Mr Hunt said Australia had no criticism of the person concerned or New Zealand’s handling of the case.
“We understand they behaved in a model way,” he said.
“They used QR codes, they checked in. That is precisely because they left a digital footprint in many places that there’s a period of concern.
“We have been very happy working with New Zealand, we’ve kept that green zone open.
“There have been challenges. They are one of the world’s best contact tracing systems. They are doing outstandingly well.”
The Trans-Tasman bubble
There has not yet been an update about the Trans-Tasman bubble, set to take off in April.
We’re hoping it will still be going ahead as planned, however, the ABC has reported that New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is “disappointed” by Australia’s decision to reinstate quarantine travel in the wake of New Zealand’s latest community COVID-19 case.
She believes the situation is “well under control”.
The Cook Islands has also cancelled the flight departing Auckland today, moving the 30 passengers intending to travel to Rarotonga to the next flight departing on Saturday morning.
Like Australia, New Zealand is expecting to roll out the Pfizer vaccine within three weeks of the first immunisation shipment. Those most at risk, plus border personnel are expected to be inoculated first.
Jacinda Ardern said that New Zealand’s borders are likely to remain closed to most of the world all year.
Hopefully this means, thanks to vaccinations and the relationship between Australia and New Zealand, that the Trans-Tasman bubble is still set to take off in April.
Watch this space.
Source: AAP.