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EXPLANATOR: The trans-Tasmanian bubble is closer to inflating than ever in the last year. But there are still some wrinkles to resolve before the first quarantine-free flight from Australia arrives.
On Monday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced the government’s plans to establish a safe travel zone with Australia within the first quarter of 2021.
A date for when the first flight can land without the mandatory quarantine requirement on arrival has not yet been set, but the wheels are in motion.
“Officials have been working on a variety of issues and good progress has been made,” Ardern said at the post-Cabinet press conference on Monday.
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* Travel bubble with Australia in early 2021, says prime minister
* Travel industry says kia orana to Cook Islands: ‘now let’s get the trans-Tasman bubble working’
A requirement that has already been publicly shared is that trips without quarantine only apply to places that have logged 28 days without community transmission.
So what must happen before the first Australians are welcomed to the other side of the border?
Chris McKeen / Stuff
On Monday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced the government’s plans to establish a safe travel zone with Australia within the first quarter of 2021 (file photo).
Australia needs to agree
The cabinet agreed on Monday to pursue a trans-Tasman bubble, but it still needs approval from its Australian counterparts.
Ardern said the deal is pending confirmation by the Australian cabinet.
Wellington Airport General Manager of Corporate Affairs Jenna Raeburn said she hopes the deal will win approval, considering that several states and territories have already opened their borders to New Zealanders.
The National Cabinet held its final meeting of the year on December 11 and will not meet again until February 5, so the agreement may not be finalized until the new year, coinciding with the time that Ardern indicated that you can set a date.
Contingency plan established
A plan must be created and ready to be implemented in the event of outbreaks at either end of the bubble.
“If we end up with tens of thousands of New Zealanders in Australia, then we will not be able to bring them back through our managed isolation facilities,” Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said Monday.
Alternative arrangements will need to be established. Pressed on this issue, Ardern suggested that they might consider bringing the self-isolation requirements back home.
“This is one of the issues that we have to convince ourselves as a cabinet that we have a contingency that equalizes the risk … if there were a sudden outbreak,” the prime minister said.
“These are things that we don’t take lightly.”
The government is also in the process of finalizing a resurgence plan that would cover what happens if outbreaks arise in the community during the summer. It is scheduled to be made public on Tuesday.
Airport preparations
Before quarantine-free flights take off, a lot of work needs to be done behind the scenes at the country’s international airports.
Hipkins will head to Auckland Airport on Tuesday to discuss how this type of travel arrangement could work logistically.
“Nobody wants to see travelers coming from a safe zone country mingling with travelers coming from elsewhere,” he said.
Raeburn from Wellington Airport agreed. “Airlines and airports must be prepared.” The capital airport has been ready to bring our safe travel measures to the Cook Islands and Australia for several months.
“We have invested heavily in new infrastructure and processes to make safe travel zones work.
“We will be prepared to leave as soon as the government and airlines can confirm the arrangements.”
Auckland Airport CEO Adrian Littlewood explained that the airport began the process of creating separate passenger routes earlier in the year.
The international terminal has been divided into two autonomous processing zones with a secure travel area used exclusively by travelers from safe travel destinations.
There is a second self-contained zone called the Health Management Area used by travelers entering managed isolation and quarantine, and travelers transiting Auckland.
“These physical jobs at the terminal are now complete and together with our partner airlines and government agencies, we have been operationally testing the separation,” Littlewood said.
“Auckland Airport will be ready to implement passenger separation once the government is ready to allow non-quarantine travel.”
Airline preparations
The airlines operating these flights need a period of notice to return to operating at the required capacity.
Hipkins explained that airlines have licensed personnel and aircraft on the ground, so it takes time to retrain personnel to current requirements and prepare the planes for flight.
Airline crews flying routes within safe travel zones must be separated from crew operating services in the rest of the world. This will require a logistical rearrangement and a change in schedules.
