The Australian government has signed a limited travel bubble across the Tasman Sea, allowing New Zealanders to fly to certain locations in Australia without self-isolation, while the New Zealand government is still not ready for quarantine travel, New Zealand media reported RNZ’s Daily Newsletter.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced news across the Tasman Sea following talks with New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jindind Arden – travel to New Zealand’s most populous state in New South Wales and the North will be allowed without quarantine to reach Australia.
“This is the first step we hope to see as a Trans-Tasmanian ‘bubble’ between the two countries,” said the Australian Deputy Prime Minister. Australia plans to reopen its border with New Zealand on Friday, October 16th. This will allow New Zealanders and other New Zealanders who have not been in an area identified as a Covid-19 hotspot in New Zealand in the previous 14 days to travel without quarantine.
However, for the time being, the changes will not allow Australians to travel to New Zealand. It will be up to Arden, who has said it is still too unsafe to open New Zealand’s borders to Australia, when Australians can return to New Zealand.
“They have a very different strategy [attiecībā uz Covid-19 drošības pasākumiem] compared to us, so they make that decision. “We must, of course, protect the people of New Zealand,” said the New Zealand Prime Minister. Not long ago, the Prime Minister’s representative confirmed that the position of the entire New Zealand government remained analogous.
Ardern urged people in New Zealand to spend their tourism money domestically, and warned that those traveling outside the country would have to be self-contained when they returned. The borders for free travel will not be opened until it is safe to do so.
National Party leader Judith Collins said New Zealanders will be able to travel to some Australian states, but will have to be quarantined when they return. Therefore, some New Zealanders in Australia may decide to stay longer when, say, visiting relatives. Australians will not be able to visit New Zealand either. As a result, local New Zealand tourism could also suffer, as the most handsome people who are going to Australia and spend their money there could stay in Australia longer instead of spending part of their travel time exploring the country themselves.
At the same time, New Zealand’s tourism experts welcome the talks between the two governments, expressing hope that the borders can be opened properly before Christmas.
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