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SYDNEY: Australia will allow New Zealand residents to enter the country in a few weeks without self-quarantine, Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack said on Friday (October 2), as Canberra seeks to revive its ailing economy as cases of COVID-19 begin to slow down.
Australia in March closed its borders to all non-citizens and permanent residents to curb the spread of COVID-19.
By opening its borders for the first time to foreigners, McCormack said New Zealand citizens and residents will be able to travel to Australia’s most populous state, New South Wales, and its remote Northern Territory from October 16.
They will not have to undergo a mandatory two-week quarantine, which is required of all Australians returning from other nations.
“This is the first stage of what we hope to see as a trans-Tasmanian bubble between the two countries,” McCormack told reporters in Canberra.
READ: COVID-19: New Zealanders may travel to some Australian states before Christmas, says Prime Minister Ardern
New Zealand has effectively eradicated COVID-19, reducing the threat of additional infections in Australia.
While Australia has eased restrictions on its closest ally, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Friday that those traveling to Australia would have to self-quarantine upon return.
He also said that New Zealand would not open its borders to Australians for now.
READ: COVID-19 – Singapore to lift border restrictions for some visitors from Australia, Vietnam
The travel route is a boost for Australia’s economy, which contracted 7 percent in the three months ending June, the most since records began in 1959, as viruses crippled business activity.
New Zealand is Australia’s largest market for visitor arrivals, surpassing China due to the pandemic, according to data from Australian Tourism 2020.
Australia has in recent days accelerated its plans to boost economic growth as COVID-19 cases slow significantly.
Daily new coronavirus infections in Australia’s state of Victoria have fallen to a nearly four-month low, authorities said Friday.
The second most populous state, Victoria, said seven people have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, up from 3pm on Thursday and close to a four-month low of five cases reported on Sept. 28.
The decline in COVID-19 cases comes nearly two months after Victoria imposed a strict lockdown on its state capital, Melbourne.
Most of the restrictions will only be eased when the average number of new cases per day over a two-week period drops below five.
The 14-day rolling case average for Melbourne is now down to 12.8, after falling from 15.6 on Thursday.
Victoria accounts for 90 percent of the national deaths from COVID-19. Australia, with 890 deaths, has fared much better than many other developed countries.
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