First Travel Bubble 'Pause' hits Western Australia to NZ
Well that didn’t take long – just 5 days since the bubble started visitors from WA to NZ are subject to quarantine again!
WA Premier Mark McGowan announced a 3 day lockdown from midnight last night, and Air New Zealand flight NZ176 scheduled to leave Perth last night, was cancelled following the announcement.
The lockdown follows a cluster of 4 cases in the Mercure Hotel quarantine facility, amid heightened concerns about returning travellers from India, where COVID is out of control.
“As set out in our trans-Tasman bubble protocols, travel between New Zealand and Western Australia has been paused, pending further advice from the state government.” said Chris Hipkins, NZ’s Covid-19 Response Minister.
A decision on the next scheduled Air NZ flight on Sunday will be taken Saturday.
Looks like we are going to have to get used to this, especially until vaccinations get rolled out far more widely.
Here’s the SmartTraveller.gov.au details:
Still current at: 24 April 2021Updated:23 April 2021
Latest update: From Friday 23 April 2021 quarantine free travel into New Zealand from Western Australia has been paused pending further notice. We advise you to ‘exercise a high degree of caution’ (level 2 of 4) when travelling to and around New Zealand. COVID-19 outbreaks can occur and authorities could implement measures at short notice, which may impact your ability to move freely. Be prepared for the possibility of an extended stay or disruption to your travel.
