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Australia has finalized a trans-Tasmanian bubble deal that will allow Kiwis to cross the trench without having to quarantine upon arrival.
But Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has confirmed that those traveling to Australia in the coming weeks will still need to complete 14 days of administered isolation upon return and pay the $ 3,100 quarantine fee.
Beginning October 16, New Zealanders who have not been to a designated Covid-19 hotspot in the past 14 days will be able to travel to New South Wales and the Northern Territory, Australian Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack announced on Friday.
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Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison had hinted that plans to open up Kiwis for non-quarantine travel are imminent.
Initially, the arrangement will be one-way and Australians will not be able to travel to New Zealand.
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“This is the first stage of what we hope to see as a trans-Tasman bubble between the two countries, not just that state and that territory,” McCormack said.
McCormack said it was up to Ardern to determine how New Zealand could receive and handle Australians entering the country.
Ardern said earlier on Friday that Australia’s plans to open its borders could be “its prerogative”, but New Zealand was not yet ready to travel without quarantine from Australia.
“I want New Zealanders to keep in mind that even if Australia [opens up its borders], that does not mean that they will not have to go into quarantine upon return. In fact, at this stage they will, ”he said during a press conference on Friday.
“In our opinion, we are not prepared to travel without quarantine with Australia. They have a very different strategy than ours, so they are making that decision and that is their prerogative, but for now of course we have to keep New Zealanders safe. “
Following the news across Tasmania, a spokesman for the prime minister confirmed that the government’s position remained.
New Zealanders who traveled to Australia would still need to have the appropriate managed isolation reserve upon return, spend two weeks in managed isolation, and pay the fee that applies to anyone who left New Zealand after August 11.
Air New Zealand Chief Executive Officer Greg Foran said that while this was a one-way deal and those returning to New Zealand would need to be quarantined for 14 days, it was “a positive step towards opening a bubble. of Tasmania “.
“Kiwis who want to reconnect with family and friends in the Northern Territory and New South Wales will welcome this news, and we look forward to hearing more about a safe area of Tasmania soon.”
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison previously alluded that the limited travel bubble was imminent, telling a radio station on Thursday that they hoped “to be able to move very soon” but suggested that New South Wales and South Australia would be the first states open to kiwis.
Unquarantine travel to and from Australia has been banned since March, when the New Zealand border was closed due to Covid-19.
While a trans-Tasman bubble has been discussed for months, Victoria’s coronavirus outbreak, which was identified in June, put plans on ice.
