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South Australia is urgently seeking a travel bubble reciprocal agreement with New Zealand to allow people from the state to travel through Tasmania.
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Nearly 100 kiwis have traveled beyond two quarantine-free states in Australia. Source: 1 NEWS
Prime Minister Steven Marshall has written to New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern asking for her agreement after 12 New Zealanders traveled to South Africa this week and were forced to self-quarantine.
New Zealanders came to the state under a federally negotiated round-trip bubble with New Zealand that allowed its citizens to enter New South Wales and the Northern Territory.
But many of those travelers took domestic flights from Sydney to other non-bubble states, such as South Africa, Western Australia and Queensland.
After ordering them into quarantine, SA relented on Tuesday and released them into the community, pushing the state into the travel bubble.
Marshall said SA now wanted to go one step further and get permission for people to travel from South Australia to New Zealand so that returning New Zealanders do not have to self-quarantine when they return home.
He said South Australia’s excellent performance in fighting Covid-19 deserved special treatment from Ardern.
“We do not pose any threat to New Zealand,” Marshall told reporters today.
“So I put it in writing, asking him to reciprocate. I have made the case that South Australia has a different arrangement than other parts of the country.
“I hope you read that letter, consider the evidence, and then come to terms.”
SA Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said Tuesday that after discussions between SA and NZ health officials, local authorities now feel a bit reassured about the risk posed by those arriving in SA.
In other changes announced Tuesday, restrictions on communities near the Victorian border were also relaxed.
People within the 70 km buffer zone on either side of the border will no longer be required to provide a legitimate reason to cross the state line, allowing them to move more freely.
But SA is still struggling with the notion of separate restrictions for people coming from other regional areas of Victoria and for people from Melbourne.
“We would like to be able to accommodate the regional victory, but there are risks associated with that,” Stevens said.
However, people will be able to permanently relocate from Victoria to South Africa more easily, without any requirement to seek a special health waiver.
They will only be asked to provide details of employment and permanent accommodation and will be asked to self-quarantine for two weeks.
Similarly, high school and college students will be able to return to SA from Victoria at the end of the current terms.
