Originally Posted by
jeffrocowboy
I know the OP has gone - but to me this sums up the problems with a Pacific bubble
A NZ-pacific bubble is probably very safe; but if Australia (at the moment) is included it will not be risk free for the Pacific
Who would carry the cost if something goes wrong in the Pacific?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/news/...-happening-now
No I am not gone from the thread, I am just not going to continue arguing and continue the conversation over whether Australia has announced their support and plans for it or not. Others can in this thread but I won't. I am happy to talk about other things though.
And yes I agree. Since my previous comments, more interviews with ministers in both Australia and NZ have come to light that have shed more clarity on the situation.
Basically it's that: Australia still has cases (and in theory, NZ could also become reinfected by international arrivals too), and just a single case poses a huge health risk to a small Pacific Island country, and neither AUS/NZ wants to be responsible for that - or the resources that would then have to be used by us to assist in fixing it.
If we infect each other it is less of a big deal because we have bigger health care systems and track/tracing capability to deal with it.
A lot of people from the Pacific Islands have disagreed with the risk outweighing the reward, but I also absolutely understand the governments position too.
So honestly, in my personal, non expert opinion, I think it's a fair balance what the Australian Pacific Islands minister said was being proposed. Open up TT border, let us test it and see if cases develop, and if it remains safe, expand the bubble
