Vanuatu Government begins implementation of Tamtam Travel Bubble

Port Vila: The Vanuatu Government has started implementing the Tamtam Travel Bubble. Prime Minister Bob Loughman specified that the first stage of the Tamtam Travel Bubble would be the opening of Vanuatu’s border with New Caledonia on February 15.

This is proposed for next April, pending final agreement on arrangements with the New Caledonian Government.

It is necessary for the Government to begin implementing the Tamtam Travel Bubble now so Vanuatu’s economic recovery from the global COVID-19 pandemic can also begin, the Prime Minister said.

“The global COVID-19 pandemic has affected our economy and the livelihoods of thousands of our people,” Mr Loughman said. “Since February 2020 when the global COVID-19 pandemic was declared, the Government has been managing the COVID-19 pandemic through the introduction of health protocols and border control measures that have been safeguarding our country and protecting our people,” he said.

“Not only were livelihoods affected by the pandemic, but the border closure has also prevented many of our people from visiting families, travelling out to receive medical care or studying overseas.

“The Government cannot keep the border closed forever –– we need to start creating a pathway that allows us to go forward safely into the future while still minimising the risks to the people and prosperity of our country.” Addressing community fears, Mr Loughman asserted that Vanuatu has already shown that it is capable of managing COVID-19.

The nation’s successful management of COVID-19 is evident in the public health and border control measures that the Government has put in place since the pandemic began, he says. Vanuatu’s successful response began with the Government’s swift decision to close the country’s border on March 26, 2020 to prevent COVID-19 from gaining a foothold in Vanuatu.