Wellington (AFP)
New Zealand on Friday suspended the travel "bubble" it had just opened with Western Australia, after the appearance of a case of Covid-19 in this state, the government announced in Wellington.
The other Australian states are not affected by these restrictions, announced a few days after the opening of the "bubble" between the two countries which have both largely contained the epidemic of coronavirus.
"In accordance with our bubble protocols, travel between New Zealand and Western Australia has been suspended, pending further government advice," the New Zealand government said in a statement posted on its website.
The move came after authorities in Western Australia announced that they were imposing three days of health restrictions in the Perth and Peel areas due to start at midnight Friday, due to a traveler who tested positive for coronavirus.
The new restrictions were decided "following a positive case in a person quarantined at the hotel and active in the community," authorities in Western Australia said on their website.
According to local media, a man in his 50s who had taken a Perth-Melbourne flight on Wednesday tested positive earlier on Friday.
He quarantined himself in a hotel as required by law but he was at restaurants, college, doctor's and a friend's house before he left.
"He has been in Perth for almost 5 days and must be considered infected," Western Australian Prime Minister Mark McGowan told a press conference.
New Zealand and Australia had decided to allow travel between the two countries without a mandatory quarantine on April 18.
Other Australian states and territories, whose residents can still travel to New Zealand under the "bubble" arrangement, have decided to restrict arrivals from Western Australia.
© 2021 AFP