New Zealand Travel Bubble Announcement

[cambriamarsh]

Will believe it when the first plane touches down

Lots of pressure to get moving in N Zild.

 

[Mattg]

The New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern has said her cabinet has agreed to an Australia travel bubble that will open in the first quarter of 2021. (From The Guardian)

Australia news live: drug decriminalisation bill to be introduced in ACT, while Fraser Island to reopen to visitors after fire

Greg Hunt expects to have early assessment of two leading vaccines by end of January; New Zealand cabinet agrees to trans-Tasman travel bubble proposal; storms forecast to intensify in parts of Queensland and NSW. This blog is now closed

www.theguardian.com

Looks like this is so far just an "in-principle" agreement subject to Australia staying on top of the virus, and no start date will be announced until early next year. Still, this is good news and hopefully a step towards quarantine-free travel to NZ actually happening sometime soon.

There has been more pressure on the NZ government to accept Australian arrivals since their announcement a few days ago about the establishment of a travel bubble between New Zealand and Cook Islands.

'Now let's get the transtasman bubble': Kiwi airline exec's call to Ardern

"Australia represents a similar low risk to the Cook Islands," the NZ airline head says.

www.nzherald.co.nz

 

[Melburnian1]

Highly conditional, as 'The Australian' reports:

'...At her last press conference for the year after a cabinet meeting, Ms Ardern said the bubble would likely start to operate in the first three months of 2021...'

And they also have to ensure airline crews are part of the so-caled 'safe bubble', said to be a 'challenge'.

Cynicism is warranted.

 

[milehighclub]

And they also have to ensure airline crews are part of the so-caled 'safe bubble', said to be a 'challenge'.

Qantas has already prepared for it. They asked international crew last month who wants to operate:
Charter - with isolation requirements
Charter - without isolation requirements
Bubble or Limited Network Flying - with isolation requirements
Bubble or Limited Network Flying - without isolation requirements

650 crew put in an EOI so they have plenty of crew at the ready and all the training spots have gone already. I imagine a similar process is in place for the pilots.

 

[Kiwi_Flyer]

Qantas has already prepared for it. They asked international crew last month who wants to operate:
Charter - with quarantine
Charter - without quarantine
Bubbles - with quarantine
Bubbles - without quarantine

650 crew put in an EOI so they have plenty of crew at the ready and all the training spots have gone already. I imagine a similar process is in place for the pilots.

Isn't bubbles with quarantine an oxymoron?

 

[milehighclub]

Isn't bubbles with quarantine an oxymoron?

I guess, but with the ever changing nature of it, you would need to have crew that would be prepared to isolate if the rules change suddenly. I've corrected my post as the term is isolation requirements.

 

[33kft]

Who would have thought just a year ago that a status run could land you with 2 weeks of quarantine at your expense... that's essentially the same risk that the flight crew run just by taking on routes between states/countries with shaky border policies. It must be hard to want to get back to work but run the risk of mandatory quarantine as a result.

 

[Cognac]

That’s what they said about WA

Believe me, WA was very happy about the hard border. Pretty sure the majority would be happy to see it again if there was an outbreak anywhere outside the state.

Not sure how we'd go if we had to do a Vic-style lockdown, but I think the majority would understand and be OK with it, as hard as it would be (same as Vic).

As for the NZ travel bubble, glad to see that something more concrete looks like it will be taking shape. Even if it only takes shape in the weeks/months in the lead-up to a vaccine being available (and the subsequent wait for what the rules are around vaccine-related travel, you're deluding yourself if you think the gates will (or should) be thrown open on day 1), that will still be a huge relief for a lot of people (not least of all AJ).

 

[justinbrett]

Believe me, WA was very happy about the hard border. Pretty sure the majority would be happy to see it again if there was an outbreak anywhere outside the state.

Not sure how we'd go if we had to do a Vic-style lockdown, but I think the majority would understand and be OK with it, as hard as it would be (same as Vic).

As for the NZ travel bubble, glad to see that something more concrete looks like it will be taking shape. Even if it only takes shape in the weeks/months in the lead-up to a vaccine being available (and the subsequent wait for what the rules are around vaccine-related travel, you're deluding yourself if you think the gates will (or should) be thrown open on day 1), that will still be a huge relief for a lot of people (not least of all AJ).

Polls were indicating a collapse in the support for the hard border towards the end - most likely as WA saw donuts across NSW and VIC. They’ve now voted with their feet and flights are full in both directions.

Never assume the front page of the local rag or a TV poll of 2000 people speak for an entire state. I’m not saying the people weren’t for the hard border in the first place, I’m saying people have common sense and you shouldn’t read this as a permanent position. As we saw with queensland there’s people on both sides of the argument, it’s never a universal opinion.

 

[MikeG]

It’s petty squabbling over two countries that have both done well. NZ took an economically harsher approach, the question is whether that was worth it given Australia ended up in the same position. Auckland did have an outbreak. Both countries have proven outbreaks can be managed.

A young progressive woman will always get more media attention than a greying white conservative male. Doesn’t mean that one is more correct than the other. Not to mention it’s incredibly stupid and pointless to pretend it’s a contest between the two - two different countries with their own local issues and two sets of electors.

It’s not hard to do well on a small Island without federated states/chaos. Fiji has done well as have most of the pacific islands... Note the ACT has been virus free since July and yet has been in open unrestricted travel with most of australia ever since. Not sure what all the waiting is about... probably just the speed of politics

 

[Kiwi_Flyer]

Note the ACT has been virus free since July and yet has been in open unrestricted travel with most of australia ever since. Not sure what all the waiting is about... probably just the speed of politics

How many people want to visit ACT? Probably not enough to worry about infections being imported across the borders

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Isn't bubbles with quarantine an oxymoron?

My assumption would be anyone in quarantine cannot mix with anyone else in quarantine. ie Only if sharing the same bedroom such as a family or a couple.

Whereas those in a bubble can mix with anyone else in that same bubble. Sporting teams have been functioning this way.

ie Say the entire aircrew despite having separate bedrooms.

They may also have several aircrew in the one bubble to allow for rotations etc.. Or families or partners may be allowed to live in the bubble.

 

[beefarmer]

I politely disagree but back to topic again- the travel bubble!

It appears the whole of both countries have next to nil internal issues or outbreaks with covid and most of Australias cases are returning travellers who are australian. these guys have to quaratine for two weeks but if kiwis want to come here and next day go surfing at philip island or bondi beach, they can. If aussies want to go on a queenstown lake tour with million dollar cruises second day, they can. But unfortuntaley, its a long time till we can trust a Swede, an italian, A new Yorker or a mexican coming over. Not such a bad thing for all. Would it make me come three times in four years. Queensland had that one in february, but its still early yet. Went NZ March 2019 and just got home 2 days before the two week hotel quarantine, despite the fact the plane couldnt get off the tarmac so all 240 of us were put up in hotels, some lucky to get the Rees. Nooooice, plus the free food and taxi vouchers. Very nooooice. But not in 2021 though.

 

[jb747]

Not sure what all the waiting is about... probably just the speed of politics

Political decisions seem to have differing speeds depending upon their direction. In the early days, it was a relatively easy decision to shut down your state or country, because that’s what almost everyone was doing. No bravery required, it’s just going with the flow. Opening up again is much more interesting, as this isn’t something that every politician is doing, so there’s the potential for you to get it wrong, in which case there will be blame. Decisions that can attract blame are to be avoided. Keeping hard borders doesn’t require decisive action, it’s just keeping the status quo.

 

[Kiwi_Flyer]

My assumption would be anyone in quarantine cannot mix with anyone else in quarantine. ie Only if sharing the same bedroom such as a family or a couple.

Whereas those in a bubble can mix with anyone else in that same bubble. Sporting teams have been functioning this way.

ie Say the entire aircrew despite having separate bedrooms.

They may also have several aircrew in the one bubble to allow for rotations etc.. Or families or partners may be allowed to live in the bubble.

My post was replying to one that suggested an option of international travel bubbles with quarantine. The whole point of an international travel bubble is to not have to quarantine.

 

[JessicaTam]

[mod hat]
Political posts (or part thereof) have been removed.

Next time will result in infractions.
[/mod hat]

 

[jakeseven7]

Well the latest NSW community transmission cases (3) will probably knock the NZ bubble back another 6 months.....

 

[DC3]

Well the latest NSW community transmission cases (3) will probably knock the NZ bubble back another 6 months.....

Just assume that it won’t be happening. Then things can only get better.

 

[kpc]

Well the latest NSW community transmission cases (3) will probably knock the NZ bubble back another 6 months.....

No, it will burst the bubble! The way things are going there will never be a bubble!!

 

[jb747]

Bubbles are ephemeral. Travel bubbles more than most.