Stranded in a burst transtasman bubble? Don’t expect a government brochure, says Hipkins

Kiwis heading to Australia when there is a quarantine-free travel bubble will be alone if a Covid-19 outbreak leaves them stranded, the government warns.

“Ultimately, New Zealanders traveling to Australia will be taking a degree of risk of being stranded,” Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins told reporters today.

“One of the things that people should be aware of when traveling to Australia is that if they are stranded they will have to be able to support themselves.”

The Herald understands that the cabinet will consider a start date, possibly in April, for the bubble on Monday, but Hipkins would not be drawn on the earliest date a bubble could open.

“As soon as I’m in a position to set firmer dates, I will,” Hipkins said.

New Zealand and Australia will each have their own rules on when to close the bubble, following the abandonment of a joint framework last month.

“The key is understanding each country’s response framework,” Hipkins said.

Government compensation for stranded travelers was off the table, he said, and insurance was unlikely to cover Covid-related travel disruption.

National Covid-19 Party response spokesman Chris Bishop said it was good to know that the bubble could open next month.

“There is a human cost to not having the bubble: families are divided and people miss important births, deaths and marriages, things like that.”

Hipkins said airlines and airports have indicated they are ready to implement systems to keep “green zone” travelers and aircrews separate from others, but they would still need up to three weeks to implement.

Passengers transiting Australia will be required to enter different flights as “green zone” travelers.

The cabinet also needed to consider how to allocate 30 to 40 percent of MIQ spaces that would open if a bubble were in operation.

Not all of those rooms will be available, Hipkins said, given the increased risk of travelers having Covid-19 from countries other than Australia.

“I would not guarantee that 30 to 40 percent is automatically available to travelers from other areas,” Hipkins said.

Some MIQ lounges should also be kept free in case a Covid-infected person was found to be on a “green” flight, which would see everyone on the flight placed on MIQ.

Christchurch Airport has already made changes to allow separate processing of “red” and “green” flights based on scheduling and cleanliness.

“We have also begun construction to physically divide the international arrivals area into two separate lanes to allow for simultaneous operations,” said Aeronautical and Commercial Director Justin Watson.

Frontline airport staff have been vaccinated and look forward to welcoming international travelers back safely, he added.

Auckland Airport has also taken steps to separate passengers based on their origin and Covid risk.

Meanwhile, Hipkins said that the launch of the Pfizer vaccination was not delayed despite a chart from the Ministry of Health indicating that 4,000 doses should be administered per day, about double what is currently happening.

He said he was keeping a close eye on the daily numbers, and expected them to be 3,000 to 4,000 doses a day next week, and 6,000 to 7,000 a day the following week.