Covid 19 coronavirus: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on the travel bubble and community cases

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has yet to give a clear timeline of a possible travel bubble with Australia.

The prime minister was in the Newstalk ZB studio this morning talking to breakfast host Mike Hosking.

Speaking of transtasman travel bubbles, he acknowledged that there were still cases of coronavirus popping up in those places abroad and that care was needed.

He said one of the problems, which he also raised with his Australian counterpart, Prime Minister Scott Morrison, was trying to get more clarity on the internal border (restrictions) within Australia.

Any travel bubbles between the cities of New Zealand and Australia should still be scrutinized and treated with care.

“However, we have to make sure that, in the future, if we said that we have an access point, where we say, we have another break in Victoria, we could keep our movement open with people like, say, Brisbane,” Ardern said.

“You could, if they had a border control regime that allowed it. So some of those details we still have to work on to make sure we don’t have a starting point.

“We want to make sure we do it correctly and carefully.”

Home for Christmas? Yes something like that

The prime minister also addressed the issue of Kiwis abroad trying to get home in time for Christmas but struggling to secure a place in managed isolation, which is now full.

When asked if there could be a measure to expand capacity at those facilities, he said: “No, not at this time.”

Ardern said he had looked at the numbers last night and capacity was tight.

“In fact, there are no places available, from memory, until about December 16. After that, there are many.

“The problem is that everyone wants to come, understandably, and finish their quarantine before Christmas,” he said.

“What I would say to people is, ‘You’ll be back before Christmas. You may not be able to spend it with your family.”

Regarding the salary subsidy, he said that he would ask the Ministry of Social Development to audit the companies that have accepted the offer in recent months.

That was thanks to companies like Fulton Hogan, who accepted the offer of a wage subsidy and then made huge profits.

“There is a moral issue here,” Ardern said.

Defense Force personnel test positive

Meanwhile, Ardern said that two Defense Forces workers who had detected Covid-19 were wearing full personal protective equipment when they were infected with the person identified as the source.

“This just reminds us how difficult it is,” he said.

Authorities confirmed on Friday that a Defense Force worker at the Jet Park quarantine facility in Auckland had tested positive for Covid-19.

A second worker, from Wellington, tested positive for the virus after being in the same meeting as that person last Wednesday.

That second case took a flight from Auckland to Wellington the following night, Thursday, November 5.

The person was in the domestic terminal at Auckland Airport from 5.30 to 7.45 p.m. on Thursday night before flying to Wellington.

Other places visited were:

• Avis Car Rental, Auckland Airport: 5 November 5 – 5.15 pm

• Orleans Chicken & Waffles, Auckland Airport: November 5, 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM

• The Gypsy Moth, Auckland Airport: November 5, 7:00 PM to 7:15 PM

• Hudsons, Auckland Airport: 7 am to 7.15 pm, November 5

• Little Penang, The Terrace, Wellington: 1:15 pm to 3:45 pm, 6 November.

Anyone who has visited these businesses during the relevant time periods is considered a “casual contact” of Covid-19 with a low risk of exposure, says the Health Ministry.

Officials are now asking anyone seated in row 23 of the Air New Zealand flight (NZ457) to be tested. Anyone else on that flight who may have concerns about your well-being should contact Healthline: 0800 358 5453.