New Zealand plans to create a "bubble" with the Small Cook Islands to promote trade between two territories that have managed to contain the spread of the new coronavirus, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced Monday (August 10th).

The head of government explained that such a corridor, where travel would be possible without having to quarantine, was possible thanks to the good results of the two countries in the fight against Covid-19.

"We hope this can be put in place before the end of the year," she told reporters, warning that caution should be exercised.

In New Zealand, no contamination for more than a hundred days

New Zealand has only 22 deaths from the new coronavirus and has not recorded any cases of local transmission of the disease for more than 100 days. The Cook Islands declared itself free from the virus in mid-April.

The small archipelago would undoubtedly be the great beneficiary of such a "bubble". Jacinda Ardern estimated that 60% of people traveling to the Cook Islands before the pandemic were New Zealanders.

Caution prevails, however, because New Zealand had a few months ago considered such a "bubble" with Australia, a project which was postponed indefinitely due to the second epidemic wave on the island-continent.

Anyone arriving in New Zealand must now observe a 14-day quarantine period.

New Zealanders, for their part, are living an almost normal life, without any social distancing instructions, as the public is once again admitted to stadiums and during sporting events.

With AFP

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