Nascent plan for reopening knocked back

WELLINGTON: The Delta outbreak has forced a rethink about recent plans to reopen to the world, Covid19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins says.

Rising case numbers across the Tasman and abandonment of any elimination policy in New South Wales and Victoria meant the travel bubble would not reopen anywhere in the ‘‘near future’’.

Mr Hipkins said the outbreak had forced a ‘‘rethink’’ of plans announced at the start of August to reopen the borders, starting with a trial this year of home isolation or shorter managed isolation and quarantine stays.

That was supposed to be followed by the phased resumption of quarantinefree travel from the first quarter of 2022.

Resources were now devoted to the outbreak, meaning plans for the trial had been pushed back, but it was still intended for this year, Mr Hipkins said.

The wider reopening was still ‘‘a while away’’, and given the situation in Australia, people should ‘‘not hold their breath’’ about travelling quarantinefree there in the ‘‘near future’’.

It followed Mr Hipkins telling Parliament on Tuesday evening that Delta had changed the Government’s thinking, particularly about countries’ risk profiles.

‘‘In some of the risk protection measures that we’ve had . . . like predeparture testing potentially three days before travel, in a Delta environment where someone can be picking it up and being infectious within 24 hours — some of those things actually do need to be looked at again.

‘‘I think we will have to look again at some of that thinking around particularly the countryrisk profiling, because I think Delta has changed the game.’’

Directorgeneral of health Dr

Ashley Bloomfield said officials had been watching how countries with high vaccination rates that had reopened had been faring.

The United Kingdom had been ‘‘instructive’’, in that with high vaccination coverage it still had high case numbers but far fewer deaths than last winter.

Singapore, which has coverage over 80%, had similar results.

University of Otago epidemiologist Prof Michael Baker said plans to reopen the borders would have to be pushed back; the Delta outbreak had ‘‘strained the system to the maximum’’ and the variant had increased risk.

‘‘As long as people are coming in who could be infected with this virus there is the ability for it to seep through tiny cracks.’’

What countries could be defined as lowrisk, in terms of quarantinefree travel for the fully vaccinated, would also need to be looked at.

With Australia essentially ruling out elimination, Prof Baker said it was not a likely option in the medium term, unless arrangements could be made with states including Tasmania and Western Australia that were committed to keeping out the virus.

Further abroad, New Zealand could look to places such Taiwan, China and Hong Kong, he said. —