Conditions for quarantine-free travel between Australia and New Zealand have been met, and a bubble will start in less than two weeks, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced today.
NZ Cabinet met to decide the date the two-way quarantine-free travel will start. Ardern promised last month to announce on 6 April when the bubble could begin operating.
The new settings will begin from 11.59pm on 18 April.
Announcing the start date this afternoon, Ardern said Cabinet had accepted the advice of the Director-General of Health and was “confident not only in the state of Australia but also in our own ability to manage a travel arrangement.”
“While Queensland has recently undergone an outbreak connected to the border, this too looks contained,” she said. “And Cabinet believes any residual risk can be managed with additional precautionary processes such as pre-departure testing if needed.”
Ardern said a system with three levels – continue, pause, suspend – would manage the trans-Tasman bubble.
Ardern said it was an important step forward in her country’s Covid-19 response, “and represents an arrangement I do not believe we have seen in any other part of the world, that is, safely opening up international travel to another country while continuing to pursue a strategy of elimination and a commitment to keeping the virus out.”
She today said airlines had not been given any forewarning about when a bubble with Australia would be opened.
Ardern had previously said the government had carefully worked through the framework of a trans-Tasman bubble.
But she warned travelling would not be without risk and if there was a community outbreak in Australia, travelling Kiwis may have to stay put, self-isolate or be tested once they return.
The three-day lockdown in the greater Brisbane area was lifted over the weekend and there have been no new cases in Queensland for the second day in a row.
In northern New South Wales coronavirus restrictions eased on Monday night after another day of no new community cases.
Tourism sectors on both sides of the Tasman have been waiting impatiently for quarantine-free visitor flights between the two nations to return, giving a much-needed injection of life into the sector, which could bring an estimated $1 billion into the national economy.
Tasmania
Tasmanians will be looking forward to direct flights between Hobart and Auckland once the new arrangements are in place.
A note on the Air New Zealand website says: “We are excited by the news of two-way quarantine-free travel between New Zealand and Australia starting soon. Our schedules are being updated for quarantine-free travel to begin on 19 April 2021.”
It was previously announced in March that Air New Zealand would be running the non-stop service between Auckland and Hobart once quarantine-free travel is up and running.
Air New Zealand Chief Executive Officer Greg Foran said at the time that he expected this new route to be a great attraction for both Kiwis and Tasmanians.
“This route will be a much-needed economic boost for New Zealand’s tourism industry. Our Hobart – Auckland route will open a direct link between 540,000 potential Tasmanian tourists and our biggest city, with regional hot spots like Queenstown and Rotorua a short skip away.
We’ll be providing flights on Thursdays and Sundays to make the most of domestic connectivity and provide the best long weekend options for travellers.”
The Hobart International Airport is in the final stages of being ready to accept international flights.
“I understand it is working with the Australian government on final approvals allowing those flights to commence,” said Premier Peter Gutwein today. “The Airport has also been working closely with the Australian Government to stand up Australian Border Force arrangements in time for the new flights.”
He noted that Tasmania welcomes around 20,000 visitors every year from New Zealand, and that number is expected to increase when travellers no longer need to transit via the mainland.
