Covid 19 coronavirus: New Zealand-Australia bubble: claims Transtasman trip will resume before Christmas

Australian media once again assert that a non-quarantine round trip between Australia and New Zealand is imminent.

But the New Zealand government says talks between the two countries are ongoing and no firm date has been set for a travel bubble.

Australian media organizations reported today that Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern would announce the transtasman bubble when she was sworn into office next week.

Reports in the Daily Mail and The West Australian, citing Western Australian government sources, said that travel arrangements would be ready by Christmas at the latest.

Comments have been requested from the Ardern office.

A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said discussions about travel between New Zealand and Australia were still continuing.

New Zealand remained committed to introducing round trips as soon as is safe, but a start date has not yet been decided, the spokeswoman said.

“There will be a number of health and border requirements that must be met before New Zealand can allow non-quarantine travel from Australia.”

It is not the first time that the Australian media has reported that a travel bubble was about to enter. In early October, Ardern poured cold water on the suggestion that round trips were “days away.”

“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 … but for now, of course, we have to keep our New Zealanders safe. “

He also said he hoped to have some sort of travel arrangements for the transtransman by the end of the year.

New Zealand’s borders have been closed to international travel since March, except for returning New Zealanders and waivers for healthcare workers and some key industries.

Last month, New South Wales and the Northern Territory began accepting travelers from New Zealand without requiring them to self-quarantine.

But that’s a one-way arrangement. Kiwifruit returning to New Zealand still need to do their 14-day period in controlled isolation. And Australian tourists cannot travel to New Zealand.

Next week, Queensland plans to reopen its border with New South Wales, which could mean the state would open up to New Zealand travelers.

However, the Greater Sydney region was exempted from that deal due to concerns about mysterious Covid-19 cases that could not be linked to known groups.

Australia’s Federal Minister for Tourism Simon Birmingham said earlier this week that the non-quarantine travel between the two countries would be a recognition of how well both countries had handled Covid-19.

“I welcome the fact that Prime Minister Ardern has made some positive comments about the reciprocal opening up with Australia, and I hope we can see this facilitated by the end of the year,” he said.

At the latest count, Australia had about 200 active Covid-19 cases and New Zealand 68 cases.

Nearly 2,000 New Zealanders have entered Australia since borders were relaxed in two states. But the move has been controversial, as New Zealanders were found to have traveled domestically to states that did not opt ​​for the travel bubble, including Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania.