Quarantine free travel bubble to Cook Islands and New Zealand from early next year

New Zealanders will soon be able to travel to the Cook Islands without being quarantined for two weeks there, or upon returning home.

The announcement has just been made public.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and her Cook Islands counterpart Mark Brown have instructed officials to continue to work together to implement all necessary measures to safely restart non-quarantined round trips in the first quarter. of the next year.

“The agreement recognizes the special ties between New Zealand and the Cook Islands. It will allow people to more easily travel between our two countries, while recognizing that the priority remains to protect our populations from Covid-19,” Ardern said.

Brown welcomed the progress, noting that the free movement of people between New Zealand and the Cook Islands was critical to the countries ‘close relationship and integral to the Cook Islands’ recovery from the impact of Covid-19.

“This arrangement is the next step towards resuming many aspects of life in the Cook Islands that have been disrupted by Covid-19, including access to health and education, and the reunification of family and friends,” Brown said. .

Step one now: arrivals in the Cook Islands to avoid quarantine

Cook Island remains one of the few countries in the world and the Pacific region that remains completely free from Covid-19.

As a result, the first step for the new agreement will involve New Zealand officials working to implement quarantine-free access to New Zealand for anyone traveling from the Cook Islands.

This will be the first time that someone arriving from a different country will not have to go through mandatory 14-day administered isolation.

That first step is said to be part of what will be a “phased approach,” according to a statement.

Ardern said: “Quarantine-free access for Cook Islands travelers to New Zealand will allow for the movement of people to provide essential services, while allowing officials to finalize preparations for a safe return to round-trip without quarantine”.