Australia and New Zealand to launch 'travel bubble' April 19 in pandemic milestone

NewZealandwill allow quarantine-free visits by Australians from April 19, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Tuesday, creating a "travel bubble" for the neighbouring nations thathave closed their borders to the rest of the world to eradicate COVID-19.

Though most Australian states have allowed quarantine-free visits fromNewZealanders for months,NewZealandhas continued mandatory quarantine from its neighbour, citing concern about small COVID-19 outbreaks there.

The virus has effectively been eradicated in both countries, with minor outbreaks a result of leakage from quarantined returned travellers. Australia has recorded about 29,400 virus cases and 909 deaths since the pandemic began, whileNewZealandhas had just over 2,100 confirmed cases and 26 deaths.

"The Trans-Tasman travel bubble represents a start of anewchapter in our COVID response and recovery, one that people have worked so hard at," Ardern told reporters in theNewZealandcapital Wellington.

"That makesNewZealandand Australia relatively unique. I know family, friends and significant parts of our economy will welcome it, as I know I certainly do."

Other neighbouring countries have proposed special travel zones, but theNewZealand-Australia arrangement is among the first that does not involve mandatory COVID-19 testing.

About 568,000NewZealand-born people live in Australia, according to 2018 figures, equivalent to 2.3 per cent of Australia's population and Australia's fourth-largest migrant community.

Australia supplied 1.5 million, or 40 per centof arrivals inNewZealandin 2019, the year before the pandemic shut borders, contributing $2.3 billion Cdnto its economy, according toNewZealandfigures. Arrivals were forecast to reach 80 per centof that level by early 2022, Ardern said.

"Tourism operators can now take bookings with confidence and scale up their staffing," said Chris Roberts, CEO ofNewZealandtravel industry body Tourism Industry Aotearoa.

'Flyer beware'

Flights to and from some Australian states could still be suspended if there were local outbreaks, Ardern warned. She said travellers must wear masks on flights and undertakeNewZealandcontact tracing, while the travel bubble did not apply to people transiting via Australia from other countries.

The bubble would operate under a "flyer beware" system, with nonewsupport from theNewZealandgovernment for people stuck in Australia by cancellations at short notice, Ardern said.

Travel would operate state-by-state, and would follow a virus risk traffic-light system, with travel as normal in green-light zones, halting for 72 hours in orange zones and halting for an extended period in red-light zones.

AirNewZealandLtd and Qantas Airways Ltd said they would ramp up flights between Australia andNewZealandto more than 70 per centof pre-pandemic levels, reducing the airlines' cash burn when they are almost wholly reliant on domestic markets for revenue.

"I'll certainly be digging out my passport for the first time since I joined the airline to head across the ditch to see my family, and I'm especially looking forward to meeting some of my grandchildren for the first time," said AirNewZealandCEO Greg Foran.