Australian flights resume

AUCKLAND: Australia has resumed its oneway quarantinefree travel arrangements with New Zealand.

Australia’s acting chief medical officer Prof Michael Kidd announced in a press conference yesterday that a suspension of green zone flights actioned on January 25 and extended on January 28 into Australia was lifted.

‘‘Green zone flights from New Zealand into Australia are now judged to be sufficiently low risk given New Zealand’s strong public health response to Covid19,’’ he said.

Sky News reported that arrangement would commence at 2pm (Australia time) yesterday, after the pause was not extended.

However, Prof Kidd also announced he had recommended new measures for people wanting a seat on a green safe zone flight from New Zealand to Australia.

Currently, travellers are required to have spent at least 14 days in New Zealand before becoming eligible for the quarantinefree flights.

Prof Kidd said he has proposed time spent in managed isolation and quarantine in New Zealand would not count as part of the two weeks, and travellers should be required to spend at least another 14 days on the Australian side of the Tasman once completing MIQ.

Prof Kidd said as there was a ‘‘small risk’’ of further associated cases being detected in New Zealand, he had recommended to the Australian Government that pre and post screening was implemented for all safe travel zone flights from New Zealand for the next 10 days. That would include screening travellers for possible symptoms of Covid19, checking travellers had not been identified as close contacts of the infected New Zealand community cases or had visited the relevant locations of interest.

‘‘The HPPC (Health Protection Principal Committee) will continue to monitor the situation in New Zealand very closely.’’

Flights were poised for takeoff from Auckland to Australia yesterday afternoon, including Air New Zealand Flight 113 to Sydney.

On January 25, Australian health authorities suspended the oneway travel arrangement with New Zealand for 72 hours out of an ‘‘abundance of caution’’, following the discovery of the South African Covid19 variant in the community case.

Prof Kidd announced on January 28 that the green card flight suspension was extended for another 72 hours, following revelations that two more people who recently completed managed isolation at Auckland’s Pullman Hotel tested positive for Covid19.

At the time, he said the move would allow the ‘‘continuing protection of the people of Australia while the extent of the situation in New Zealand is clarified’’.

The news of the lifted suspension comes as New Zealand’s Ministry of Health reported one new case of Covid19 in managed isolation yesterday and the fourth day in a row of no new community cases. — The New Zealand Herald