PM warns Kiwis to come home as bubble bursts
Potentially thousands of Kiwis are in a race to get back into the country after the quarantine-free travel bubble with Australia burst.
Yesterday afternoon, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins announced quarantine-free travel (QFT) from all Australian states and territories would be suspended from 11.59pm, for at least eight weeks.
Slightly more than 20,000 New Zealanders have travelled to Australia – which declared a national emergency yesterday – and not returned since the bubble opened on April 19.
The prime minister warns that those who do not want to be in Australia longterm should return now.
What happens now?
For the next seven days there will be managed green flights available from all Australian states and territories except New South Wales.
People travelling from outside NSW will require proof of a negative predeparture test to get on a flight, but will not be required to go into managed isolation during that seven-day window, to 11.59pm on July 30.
Those who have been in NSW will have to go into a managed isolation (MIQ) facility for 14 days.
Travellers from Victoria must adhere to the state’s current lockdown measures, self-isolate upon arrival into New Zealand and get a Covid-19 test on day three.
After the seven-day travel window ends, all travellers must secure a spot in MIQ to be able to return. Officials have warned this may not be immediate, and travellers will need to await further information about flight availability.
The suspension will be reviewed in September.
In the 95 days since the bubble opened, 312,000 people have travelled in either direction, and multiple state-specific pauses have been put in place.
What’s happening with flights?
The Government is working closely with airlines to ensure there are flights available over the seven-day period, and extend it for a few days if necessary.
Kiwis stranded in NSW will be able to return home on managed flights with Air New Zealand.
All returnees on managed flights are required to go into managed isolation for at least 14 days.
Air New Zealand has opened bookings for managed flights, but not everyone in NSW will be able to return home immediately.
Air New Zealand’s five managed flights from Sydney to Auckland between July 28 and August 7 sold out shortly after going on sale yesterday morning.
Those who can safely stay in NSW are encouraged to do so, so those with the most urgent need to return can do so first.
A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Education said they did not have a record of how many school students were currently in Australia.
Schools are due back for term 3 on Monday.
The number of affected pupils is only likely to become apparent then.
What’s happening with MIQ?
The number of seats on managed flights is limited to the number of MIQ spaces available.
The country’s MIQ system is already under pressure. Of the 4000 rooms available across 32 facilities, 3784 were occupied as of midnight on July 22.
The Government will be making 580 MIQ rooms available between July 28 and August 8 for those returning from Australia.
Why now?
Ardern and Hipkins said the move to suspend travel was not one taken lightly, but was the right decision to keep New Zealanders safe.
The bubble was already paused with New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia.
Australia is in the grips of multiple outbreaks that have forced three states into lockdown.
Yesterday, New South Wales recorded 136 new cases of Covid-19 – the highest daily number since the Delta variant emerged on July 16.
Yesterday’s measures were appropriate given the high level of transmissibility of the Delta variant and the multiple community clusters, Ardern and Hipkins said.
The Government was confident in the decision amid the ‘‘worsening’’ situation in New South Wales and ‘‘seepage’’ across state borders.
‘‘Now is the time for a suspension to ensure New Zealanders aren’t put at undue risk from Covid-19, and to ensure we retain our hard-won gains.’’
‘‘Our team of 5 million has worked hard to put us in a strong position both health-wise and economically. We will not risk that,’’ they said yesterday.
Ardern and Hipkins said they acknowledged the ‘‘frustration and inconvenience’’ that came with interruptions to trans-Tasman travel, but said the suspension would give Australia time to manage its outbreaks while ensuring New Zealanders are safe.