Covid-19: New Zealand and Australia to launch their "bubble" where travel freely
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern presents the conditions for a non-quarantine travel bubble between her country and Australia, in Wellington on April 6, 2021. AP - Mark Mitchell
Text by: RFI Follow
4 min
New Zealand approved the principle of a “
bubble
” with Australia on
Tuesday April 6
from mid-April.
Nationals of both countries could travel there without quarantine.
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"
I can confirm that the non-quarantine trips will begin in less than two weeks, on April 18 at 11:59 am,
" New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced.
"
I very much appreciate the decision taken today by the New Zealand government
," said his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison at a press conference.
We welcome them again, in the same way Australians will be greeted by Kiwis.
"
This “
bubble
” should therefore open a little over a year after the South Pacific archipelago closed its borders due to the pandemic.
The project has been on the table for many months but its launch has been postponed several times due to the appearance of new sources of contamination in one country or another.
Australia, however, had already partially opened its territory to New Zealanders six months ago, allowing them to travel to certain states without having to observe a quarantine.
►
To read also: Coronavirus: New Zealand and Australia are considering a joint “bubble”
Hopes of the tourism sector
With 26 deaths linked to Covid-19, New Zealand is one of the countries that has been the most effective in the face of the pandemic, taking advantage of its geographical isolation.
Likewise, with less than a thousand deaths for a population of 25 million, Australia has been praised for its handling of the epidemic.
New Zealand's economy has suffered greatly from the lack of foreign tourism on its soil for over a year.
The local tourism sector hopes that the "
bubble
" will inject up to one billion New Zealand dollars (600 million euros) into the national economy.
Jacinda Ardern urged Australians to take advantage of this opportunity as New Zealand's winter sports season approaches: “
We are a safe place to come with the family.
"
Contrasting reactions from airlines
Air New Zealand immediately announced that it would increase its number of flights to Australia from four per week to currently around 20 when the bubble goes into effect.
However, Virgin Australia, while deeming this announcement to be a step in the right direction, announced that it would only offer a limited supply of flights to Queensland, a hotspot for skiing and adventure sports in the south of the country. 'South Island.
The Taiwanese precedent, Boris Johnson's caution
Several Asia-Pacific countries are working on similar “
bubble
”
projects
.
Taiwan and the Palau archipelago, in the Pacific, inaugurated one this Thursday, April 1, again with the hope of supporting their tourism industry hard hit by the pandemic.
Hours before Ms Ardern's announcement, however, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he would not allow overseas travel for at least a month.
►
To read also: Coronavirus: Australia and Singapore are considering a “travel bubble” between them
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Coronavirus: New Zealand and Australia consider joint "bubble"
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