Covid 19 coronavirus: Australia expects ‘more reciprocal’ travel bubble with New Zealand

Austraila’s medical director, Professor Paul Kelly, has high hopes that Australia’s travel bubble with New Zealand can soon be reciprocated.

Travelers have been flying through the ditch for the past few months, but while people traveling from New Zealand to Australia are not required to go into quarantine, the same is not true for people traveling from Australia to New Zealand.

Kelly said Australia “would welcome New Zealanders to see our epidemiological situation and have something more reciprocal than we have.” The current deals were successful, Kelly said, and Australia was “definitely open to other bubbles.”

“On a weekly basis, I do a formal report to decide whether or not that should continue and we look at a variety of details that come from the New Zealand Ministry of Health,” Kelly said. “It has been a great success. We have had tens of thousands of people come across the ditch in the last few months and not a single case.”

Covid-19 Recovery Minister Chris Hipkins responded by saying that New Zealand was looking to establish quarantine-free travel with Australia in the first quarter of 2021, but both countries will need to meet health requirements to make it safe.

“Decisions on the start date will be made early this year, as conditions allow,” he said.

Hipkins said New Zealand officials were closely monitoring the situation in specific parts of Australia.

“Decisions about which states and territories can participate are Australia’s business,” Hipkins said.

“The implications of vaccine launches for border measures are still being considered and it is too early to know exactly how they will interact with each other. But both Australia and New Zealand are actively pursuing vaccine purchase and launch strategies and we are in close contact with each other as they go, “he said.

Hipkins said both countries were taking a similar approach to Covid-19, including a very careful approach at the border.

“Health and border requirements for a Trans-Tasmania Safe Travel Zone will be strict. In addition, officials are completing additional preparedness work, including contingency planning for an outbreak in any of the countries after a Zone begins. of Safe Travel “.