NZ to announce date for trans-Tasman quarantine-free travel

Wellington, March 22 (IANS) The New Zealand government will announce the date for the opening of the "trans-Tasman bubble" on April 6, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday.The "trans-Tasman bubble" will allow visitors from Australia to enter New Zealand without the compulsory two-week quarantine in government managed isolation facilities, Xinhua news agency quoted Ardern as saying following a cabinet meeting.Before the pandemic, there were usually about 6,000 Australian people visiting New Zealand on a daily basis, local media reported. Currently, New Zealanders can go to some Australian states without being quarantined in managed isolation facilities. New Zealand's border has been closed to all but residents and citizens, with a few exemptions, since March 2020.Meanwhile, a two-way quarantine-free travel with the Cook Islands and Niue, both realm countries of New Zealand, is also on the cards.Cook Islands residents can already travel to New Zealand without the need to quarantine, while Niueans will be able to do the same from Wednesday onwards.
--IANS ksk/