Covid cases threaten bubble
NSW transtasman flights paused after discussions between governments
Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins has announced his intention to pause Quarantine Free Travel between New Zealand and New South Wales while the source of infection of the two cases announced in Sydney in the last two days is investigated.
Whole genome sequencing has linked Wednesday’s case to a recent returnee who arrived in Australia from the United States. A household contact of Wednesday’s case yesterday returned a positive test.
An epidemiological link has yet to be determined between Wednesday’s case and the recent returnee.
While the new case announced yesterday is not unexpected as a household contact, officials have assessed that with several outstanding unknowns in the situation in Sydney it is safest to pause the QFT from 11.59pm yesterday This will be under constant review.
Anyone who is in Australia who has been at one of the locations of interest is subject to the requirements of the NSW Government and should not travel to New Zealand.
NSW has put in place its own restrictions, details of which are available at https://www. nsw.gov.au/covid-19/news-and-media
The Government is aware this will cause some disruption to travellers but strongly believes a cautious approach is the best course of action while investigations continue.
New Zealand health officials were in close contact with their Australian counterparts yesterday after the second positive case in Sydney in the previous 24 hours.
Hipkins said decisions on what steps were needed were being discussed yesterday afternoon.
“The advice that I had earlier today was that there could be a likely source of transmission, which again, required further investigation.
“We’re in close contact with Australian health officials.
“We will then know a bit more about what the Australians know and obviously make decisions where we need to.”
He noted the Northland case earlier this year where there was no lockdown.
“We’re treating cases in Australia the same as we would here . . . We are ready to move quickly if we need to.”
The latest developments come after New South Wales recorded its second case of Covid yesterday.
The new case, a woman in her 50s, is the man’s household contact.
It’s believed neither the man nor woman had recently travelled overseas, worked in a hotel quarantine, border or health role, or come into contact with someone who did.
New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian said officials had managed to trace the source of the man’s infection to a case acquired overseas but there are concerns about a missing link.
It matched a traveller who arrived from the United States and stayed at the Park Royal at Darling Harbour before being moved into a quarantine facility on April 28.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said earlier yesterday that preparing for “scenarios like these” was all part of having the bubble.
She said the traveller from the US was still in quarantine. — NZ Herald