Ardern said contingency plans needed to be in place in the event of an outbreak in Australia. ‘These are things we don’t take lightly.’ ...
Ardern said contingency plans needed to be in place in the event of an outbreak in Australia.
‘These are things we don’t take lightly.’
She said there had been focus on putting rules in place for a bubble opening after 28 days free of community Covid transmission, however more preparation was needed over a range of issues.
One of those issues was making sure if there was an outbreak in Australia, there needed to be arrangements “for potentially thousands” of Kiwis coming back into New Zealand that wouldn’t be able to be held in managed isolation.
It was considering whether self-isolation was an option.
Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said airlines needed a notice period and that there needed to be separation between staff working in different zones.
It comes two days after New Zealand and the Cook Islands agreed to open a quarantine-free travel bubble by March next year.
On Friday, Queensland was the latest, following NSW, Northern Territory, Victoria and Tasmania, to allow Kiwis to enter without undergoing quarantine.
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