Delta fear forces halt to bubble

For two months from today, any Australians entering New Zealand will have to quarantine after the Government put the travel bubble with the ‘‘lucky country’’ on ice.

The move by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins to suspend quarantine-free travel from all Australian states and territories came into effect at 11.59pm yesterday.

There will, however, be managed return flights over the next seven days to allow Kiwi citizens and residents to come home without having to spend 14 days in quarantine.

‘‘My strong message to every New Zealander in Australia right now who does not want to stay there long term is – come home,’’ Ardern said.

She said the decision was based on a recommendation from health officials.

‘‘We’ve acted out of an abundance of caution and will continue to do so,’’ Ardern said.

Slightly more than 20,000 New Zealanders have travelled to Australia and not returned since the bubble opened on April 19.

For the next seven days there will be managed green flights available from all Australian states and territories except New South Wales.

People travelling from outside NSW will require proof of a negative pre-departure test to get on a flight, but will not be required to go into managed isolation during that seven-day window, to 11.59pm on July 30.

Those who have been in NSW will have to go into a managed isolation (MIQ) facility for 14 days.

Travellers from Victoria must adhere to the state’s current lockdown measures, self-isolate upon arrival into New Zealand and get a Covid19 test on day three.

After the seven-day travel window ends, all travellers must secure a spot in MIQ to be able to return.

Officials have warned this may not be immediate, and travellers will need to await further information about flight availability.

The suspension will be reviewed in September.

In the 95 days since the bubble opened, 312,000 people have travelled in either direction, and multiple state-specific pauses have happened.

The Government is working closely with airlines to ensure there are flights available over the seven-day period, and extend it for a few days if necessary.

Kiwis stranded in NSW will be able to return home on managed flights with Air New Zealand. All returnees on managed flights are required to go into managed isolation for at least 14 days.

All travellers would be checked to make sure they have had a negative test within 72 hours of travel.

Air New Zealand has opened bookings for managed flights, but not everyone in NSW will be able to return home immediately.

Air New Zealand’s five managed flights from Sydney to Auckland between July 28 and August 7 sold out soon after going on sale yesterday morning.

Now Air New Zealand has said it is putting on more flights and flying bigger aircraft on trans-Tasman routes to bring people in Australia home.

Those who can safely stay in NSW are encouraged to do so, so those with the most urgent need to return can do so first.

A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Education said it did not have a record of how many school students were currently in Australia.

Schools are due back for term three on Monday. The number of affected pupils is only likely to become apparent then.

The number of seats on managed flights is limited to the number of MIQ spaces available.

The country’s MIQ system is already under pressure. Of the 4000 rooms available across 32 facilities, 3784 were occupied as of midnight on July 22.

The Government will be making 580 MIQ rooms available between July 28 and August 8 for those returning from Australia.

It remains to be seen how well the system will cope dealing with a sudden influx of people demanding rooms.

Ardern and Hipkins said the move to suspend travel was not one taken lightly, but was the right decision to keep New Zealanders safe.

The bubble was already paused with New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia.

Australia is in the grip of multiple outbreaks that have forced three states into lockdown – posing an ‘‘increasing’’ health risk to New Zealanders, they said.

Ardern said the highly infectious Delta variant had changed the risk profile significantly.

Yesterday, New South Wales recorded 136 new cases of Covid-19 – the highest daily number since the new variant emerged on July 16.

Given the high level of transmissibility of the Delta variant, worsening situation in New South Wales, and the multiple community clusters, it was the ‘‘right thing to do’’ to keep the virus out of the country, they said.

The Government was confident in the decision amid the ‘‘worsening’’ situation in New South Wales and ‘‘seepage’’ across state borders.

‘‘Now is the time for a suspension to ensure New Zealanders aren’t put at undue risk from Covid-19, and to ensure we retain our hardwon gains.’’