Australia is suspending its travel bubble with NZ for at least 72 hours — effective immediately — over a “significant” concern.Australia is immediately suspending its green zone travel bubble with New Zealand for at least 72 hours out of an “abundance of caution” over a highly infectious strain of COVID-19. Health Minister Greg Hunt said the federal government had received advice from the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee of a “significant case of concern” in New Zealand regarding the South African variant.
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Key points:

• Australia announced snap changes to the travel bubble with New Zealand
• Authorities are seeking more information about a New Zealand case linked to a new COVID-19 strain
• Any NZ arrival since January 14 will have to self-isolate pending a negative test

The Federal Government has suspended quarantine-free travel for New Zealanders arriving in Australia for 72 hours amid fears of a South African strain of COVID-19 across the Tasman. A New Zealand woman infected with the highly infectious variant of COVID-19 first detected in South Africa visited around 30 sites before her case was detected. Travellers coming from New Zealand to Australia in the next 72 hours will have to go into mandatory hotel quarantine.
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Anyone who arrived in Australia from New Zealand on or since January 14 is asked to get a COVID-19 test and self-isolate until they get a negative result. Mr Hunt said authorities are working out how many people have travelled to Australia from New Zealand during that period.
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New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has said she is disappointed by Australia's decision to reinstate quarantine travel in the wake of the New Zealand's latest community COVID-19 case, adding that the situation is "well under control".

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"If we are to enter into a trans-Tasman bubble we will need to give people confidence that we won't see closures at the border that happen with very short notice over incidents we believe can be well-managed domestically."

New Zealanders could be waiting even longer for a full trans-Tasman bubble, with the government downplaying its previous suggestion one could be in place by the end of March.
It comes as the one-way travel bubble to Australia is put on ice, in response to the community case in Northland.

The National Party says instead of focusing on a full travel bubble, the government should instead be working on a state-by-state approach.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has expressed her disappointment Australia has temporarily frozen the trans-Tasman bubble. "We have seen the impacts of that decision on travellers, we need to have some confidence if we are in a trans-Tasman travel arrangement that we won't see decisions that impact people when it may not be necessary," she said. Ardern gave a luke-warm response when asked by reporters if a full trans-Tasman bubble could still be achieved by the end of March.
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Australian acting chief medical officer Professor Michael Kidd said the "green zone flights" from New Zealand will recommence this afternoon. The travel arrangements were paused after a Kiwi woman infected with the highly contagious South African variant of Covid-19 travelled to about 30 locations in New Zealand before testing positive.

The initial 72-hour suspension was extended on Thursday.
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"Green zone flights from New Zealand into Australia are now judged to be sufficiently low risk, given New Zealand's strong public health response to Covid-19.

"Given there is still a small risk of further associated cases being detected and with an abundance of caution, I've recommended to the Australian government that pre- and post-flight screening be implemented for all safe travel zone flights from New Zealand for the next 10 days."
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"Currently, to be eligible to fly on a safe green travel zone flight to Australia from New Zealand, passengers must have been in New Zealand for the previous 14 days.

"I've also recommended to the Australian government that time spent in hotel quarantine does not form part of the required 14 days in New Zealand.

"This means that people arriving in New Zealand and spending time in hotel quarantine must have been released from hotel quarantine for at least 14 days before they are eligible to take a green safe zone flight to Australia
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At least a dozen returnees have left New Zealand immediately after completing managed isolation, raising questions about whether the MIQ system was being abused.

This week, as investigations began into how three people linked to the Pullman Hotel managed isolation facility became infected with Covid-19, Australian authorities advised a dozen Pullman departees had touched down in Sydney. Three reportedly travelled on to Hong Kong.
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New Zealand could get direct air links to Tasmania as early as next month as the Australian state peruses a local travel bubble.Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein told reporters that Hobart International Airport has almost completed the biosecurity, border and customs measures necessary to welcome trans-Tasman flights. “Out of all of the countries that are our close neighbours, the one that we have the strongest and most likely chance of having a travel bubble operating would be New Zealand,” he told reporters on Monday.

New Zealand and Tasmania’s low community cases have highlighted the region as a frontrunner in a potential state-by-state approach to trans-Tasman travel. Gutwein said readying the airport was an important part in showing Tasmania is ready for an air bridge.
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On Sunday, Australia resumed quarantine-free travel for passengers arriving from New Zealand, following three positive cases of COVID-19 in Auckland and Northland. Quarantine-free travel for passengers in the opposite direction depends on the discretion of New Zealand. Speaking after the first Cabinet meeting last month, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the two-way travel bubble between Australia and New Zealand was in doubt. “It does look increasingly difficult at a country-by-country level. We haven’t ruled out the possibility of state-by-state,” said Ms Ardern.
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Australia’s Chief Medical Officer, Professor Paul Kelly, has convened an urgent meeting with Chief Health Officers of states open to New Zealand Green Zone flights (NSW, Qld and Victoria) to discuss the three-day lockdown in Auckland.

It was decided at this meeting today that all flights originating in New Zealand will be classified as Red Zone flights for an initial period of 72 hours from 12.01am on 15 February. As a result of this, all people arriving on such flights originating within this three-day period will need to go into 14 days of supervised hotel quarantine. No flights are due to arrive in Australia from New Zealand tonight (14 February). States will determine how to manage people who have already arrived in Australia from New Zealand and who may pose a risk of transmitting the COVID-19 virus.
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Key points:

• People flying in from New Zealand from Monday to Wednesday will be required to quarantine for 14 days
• Travellers from New Zealand had been allowed to enter Queensland, NSW and Victoria without quarantine
• An outbreak of three new COVID-19 cases in Auckland has led to Australia pausing the travel arrangement

Australia will stop quarantine-free travel for New Zealanders, after three COVID-19 cases were recorded in Auckland.The trans-Tasman bubble was set up so people could fly from New Zealand to Australia without needing to spend 14 days in a hotel. However, Australia's expert medical panel made a decision late on Sunday night to change the system. It means any New Zealanders that fly into Australia from Monday will have to spend a fortnight in hotel quarantine. The new rule will remain in place for the next three days before the situation is reassessed.

A statement on the Department of Health website said the pause on quarantine-free travel was decided after a meeting with the Chief Health Officers of Queensland, NSW and Victoria and Australia's Chief Medical Officer, Professor Paul Kelly. "All people arriving on such flights originating within this three-day period will need to go into 14 days of supervised hotel quarantine," the statement read. "The Australian Health Protection Principal Committee will consider further updates from New Zealand tomorrow and provide advice."
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Australia will reimpose new rules on New Zealanders looking to travel into the country after three new COVID-19 cases were detected.

Australia will reimpose hotel quarantine on New Zealand after three new COVID-19 cases were detected in the country. The trans-Tasman bubble allowed people from New Zealand to fly to Australia without the need to quarantine. However in a late night “urgent” meeting on Sunday, Australia’s chief medical officer, Paul Kelly, along with state officials determined all flights will now be classified as “Red Zone flights”. It means any New Zealanders that fly into Australia from 12.01am Monday will need to spend two weeks in hotel quarantine. The initial timeframe for the rule stands for three days with officials “considering further updates”.
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Quarantine-free travel for New Zealanders entering Australia will resume from midnight.

The travel bubble was suspended in late January amid fears of the South African strain of coronavirus emerging across the Tasman. New Zealanders wanting to enter Australia without quarantining will need a negative COVID-19 test less than 72 hours prior to their departure if they have been in Auckland any time in the two weeks before their travel
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One state is shutting its border to New Zealand after an outbreak of coronavirus, ending all ‘green flights’ from tonight.

Queensland is shutting its border to New Zealand after an outbreak of COVID-19 in Auckland, forcing travellers to quarantine for two weeks. Chief health officer Jeannette Young said New Zealand was no longer a “safe travel country”, so all “green flights” would stop from 6pm on Wednesday. It comes after the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee received advice that the level of risk in New Zealand had increased. Dr Young said the border decision was made to protect the health of everyone in Queensland.
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Auckland has been officially labelled a hotspot by NSW Health meaning all arrivals from the city will need to go into hotel quarantine. From midnight tonight all arrivals from Auckland into NSW will be required to go into hotel quarantine. This includes anyone who has been inside Auckland airport, with travellers given the option to pay up for quarantine or leave Australia to head back to New Zealand.
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