.
The government
has devised a traffic
light system to managing the bubble should any cases
appear over the ditch. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said
they are taking a flyer beware approach - and travellers
will shoulder the risk of any Covid-19 interruptions to
their travel.
The SMC asked experts to comment on the
announcement.
Professor Shaun Hendy, University of
Auckland, comments: The opening up of a travel
bubble with Australia is a significant milestone in our
pandemic response. Given that Australia has also
successfully managed an elimination strategy and has
excellent surveillance systems in place, travellers from
Australia currently pose little risk. Should an outbreak
Tuesday, 6 April 2021, 5:25 pm
The EMA says today’s announcement that the two-way
trans-Tasman bubble will go ahead from midnight, April 18,
will be welcomed by all businesses reliant on trade with
Australia. This is the ‘rope up the cliff’ for
many of our members who have been holding on waiting for the
prospect of travel to and from Australia, for their staff
and in particular their customers , says Chief Executive
Brett O’Riley. Importantly it needs to
free up MIQ spaces as soon as possible so we can get more
critical skilled workers into New Zealand. Not only do we
need these people, but we need to encourage those workers
Tuesday, 6 April 2021, 4:41 pm
Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce Chief
Executive Leeann Watson says businesses have been eagerly
awaiting today’s announcement regarding the trans-Tasman
travel bubble.
The Prime Minister today announced that
Cabinet has approved a proposal for quarantine-free
trans-Tasman travel, set to come into effect on April
19.
Ms Watson says the tight border controls have been
one of the key challenges for the local business community,
so the announcement will be a welcome relief . The
significant impact of the border restrictions on spending in
the region and the ability for business to operate and trade
at capacity has been very keenly felt, with pockets of the
Monday, 5 April 2021, 4:03 pm
New Zealand holiday homeowners are reporting a surge in
bookings from Australia as news of the potential
trans-Tasman bubble opening spreads.
With New
Zealand’s Prime Minister set to announce a date that
quarantine-free travel with Australia can begin on April 6,
new data shows an increase in speculative bookings of 117%
over the month prior.
Zaina Razzaq, spokesperson for
Bachcare, New Zealand’s largest holiday home management
firm, says their figures show a marked increase in
Australian travellers researching and booking accommodation
across the Tasman - despite not having a confirmation of a
quarantine free travel bubble.
She says unlike
Monday, 5 April 2021, 4:14 pm
When Nobel Laureates open their mouths in despair and
anger, their observations tend to be worth noting.
Immunologist Professor Peter Doherty was willingly doing so
last week, and found himself indignant at the merciless cuts
to courses and subjects in Australian universities. He was
particularly worried about what was happening at the
University of Melbourne, which is removing various subjects
in the sciences as part of its “pandemic reset
programme”.
His sombre words
were recorded in
The Age: “If we are serious about
tackling climate change with technology, if we are serious
about preventing more pandemics, then research and the study