'It was a close call but the correct one'
New Zealand is temporarily halting the influx of travellers from Victoria as officials move to control a sudden uptick in the number of COVID-19 cases in Melbourne. Travel protocols – including having to undergo quarantine upon arrival in New Zealand – will be reinstated in the next three days until public health authorities are certain about the cause of this emerging cluster in Australia.
“New Zealand officials have assessed that the most cautious option is to pause the travel bubble with Victoria as there are still several unknowns with the outbreak,” said Chris Hipkins, Minister for COVID-19 Response in New Zealand.
The suspension will be monitored closely but is expected to cause travel disruptions throughout the week. “It was a close call but the correct one given the current unknowns,” the minister said. “An epidemiological link has yet to be determined between these cases and there is currently no known link between people in the current outbreak.”
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This isn’t the first time New Zealand has pulled back on welcoming travellers from Australia via the Trans-Tasman bubble. The country also shut its borders to visitors from WA and NSW after local cases emerged. Such decisions are “proportionate and precautionary,” according to Dr. Ashley Bloomfield, health director-general of New Zealand.
The new cluster in Victoria has forced officials to reimpose rules requiring the use of face coverings for indoor social activities and limiting the size of social groups through 4 June. Before the recent outbreak, the state had been COVID-free for three months. However, officials are confident that residents will once again cooperate and adopt pandemic regulations. “Victorians know exactly what to do and are probably more primed to do the right thing than almost any jurisdiction in the world,” said Brett Sutton, the state’s chief health officer.
