Coronavirus: Australia opens ‘travel zone’ to New Zealanders

New Zealanders must have access to Australia on the first international border opening by any of the nations since the Covid restrictions were imposed.

People will be able to fly from New Zealand to New South Wales and the Northern Territory, and avoid mandatory quarantine, starting October 16.

The nations closed their borders in March in a bid to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

Officials say the risks are now low enough to justify a “travel bubble.”

“The establishment of a travel zone between Australia and New Zealand has been finalized,” said Australian Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack.

“This is the first stage of what we hope to see as a trans-Tasmanian bubble between the two countries, which does not stop only in that state and that territory.”

At first, travel will be limited to New Zealanders.

McCormack said the decision on when Australians could visit New Zealand would be up to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

He said Australia had assessed New Zealand visitors as “low risk of Covid-19 transmission” as it currently has no “hot spots.”

Australia defines a hot spot as any area with at least three local infections per day on a three-day moving average, it added.

The most recent case acquired locally in New Zealand was reported on August 21.

The Northern Territory of Australia has not registered an infection in two months. New South Wales, which includes Sydney, has not seen a case of local transmission since last week.

Australia’s federal government has pushed for national and international borders to be reopened “as soon as possible” to help the economy, but some state governments, which have power over their own borders, have been more resilient.

Victoria remains isolated from the rest of Australia, following an outbreak in the state capital Melbourne that is now on the decline.

New Zealand has recorded 1,848 cases and 25 deaths, while Australia has seen more than 27,000 cases and 888 deaths.