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Fourteen New Zealanders have reportedly been detained in Melbourne, Australia, after crossing state lines.
The kiwis arrived in Sydney on Friday as part of the trans-Tasmania travel bubble deal covering New South Wales and the Northern Territory, according to a report by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
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The Kiwis then boarded a flight to Melbourne, Victoria, after which they were intercepted and detained, according to the Herald Sun.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said they were aware of the media reports, but “have not been contacted regarding this matter.”
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The reported incident occurred after several quarantine-free flights landed in Sydney, Australia, the first flights in the “trans-Tasmania travel bubble.”
Daniel Pockett / Getty Images
The travelers were reportedly detained in Melbourne (file photo).
Previously, there were tearful gatherings at Sydney International Airport when people were reunited with loved ones they hadn’t seen in months. A man had not seen his wife since February.
Since March, Australia’s borders have been closed to everyone except Australian citizens, residents, and immediate family members of citizens and residents.
Non-citizens and non-residents have had to apply for an exemption in order to enter the country.
That has now changed, with New Zealanders traveling under the new safe travel zone agreement automatically exempted from Australia’s travel restrictions.
Currently, the agreement is limited to travel to New South Wales and the Northern Territory. Other states and territories can be added later.
The new rules state that people can travel from New Zealand to Australia, without quarantine, if they have been in New Zealand for 14 days or more and have not been to a designated “hotspot.”
A Covid-19 hotspot is defined as a location with a three-day average of three cases per day. There are currently no access points in New Zealand.
These passengers must travel to Australia on a “quarantine free flight”, which only carries those who meet the requirements.
