'Corona-Clean' Australia-New Zealand, World's First Travel Bubble Implemented

Free Cross-Border Travel Without Quarantine Between Two Countries
Australia and New Zealand Report Zero Local COVID-19 Cases...Effectively Declaring Themselves COVID-19 Clean Zones

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern
Photo by AP Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced that the travel bubble (quarantine-free travel zone) with Australia is set to begin soon. This will make New Zealand and Australia the first countries in the world to implement a travel bubble since the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to local media NZ Herald on the 6th, Prime Minister Ardern stated that the travel bubble between New Zealand and Australia is scheduled to start from the 19th. This marks the implementation of the travel bubble policy agreed upon by the two countries for the first time in May last year, after 11 months. Ardern told reporters, "The risk of COVID-19 spread has been largely resolved," and added, "We have determined that travel without self-quarantine with Australia is possible."

Ardern further added, "If lockdown measures are implemented in specific regions of Australia, flights from those regions will be temporarily suspended."

According to the travel bubble implementation plan announced that day, all Australians entering New Zealand must have an emergency contact network within New Zealand, and citizens who tested positive for COVID-19 within 14 days prior to entry will be restricted from entering. The mandatory mask-wearing regulation on flights will still be maintained.

Additionally, Ardern announced a policy to separate airport zones in both countries into 'Green Zones' accessible only by Australians and New Zealanders, and 'Red Zones' for arrivals from other countries, to minimize contact with citizens from other nations.

Previously, the Australian and New Zealand governments mandated a 14-day self-quarantine for citizens traveling between the two countries starting from March last year. Since October last year, all Australian states except Western Australia abolished the self-quarantine requirement for arrivals from New Zealand, but New Zealand had maintained the self-quarantine regulation until this month.

The announcement of the travel bubble implementation was welcomed by the tourism industry and business sectors of both countries. Michael Barnett, CEO of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce in New Zealand, said, "The travel bubble holds great significance for our families, tourism industry, and economy," adding, "Through this, we expect to strengthen trade relations between the two countries and return to the economic boom period before the COVID-19 pandemic."

The implementation of the travel bubble between the two countries is interpreted as a declaration that Australia and New Zealand are effectively COVID-19 safe zones. According to the international statistics site Worldometer, as of the 5th, there were zero local infection cases in Australia and New Zealand. Therefore, the governments of Australia and New Zealand analyzed that the possibility of COVID-19 transmission through exchanges between their citizens is almost nonexistent, leading to the implementation of the travel bubble.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.