ZB ZB
Live now
Start time
Playing for
End time
Listen live
Listen to NAME OF STATION
Up next
Listen live on
ZB

Bubble burst: More Australian states slap quarantine orders on NZ arrivals

Author
Newstalk ZB / news.com.au,
Publish Date
Thu, 25 Feb 2021, 7:39PM
(Photo / File)
(Photo / File)

Bubble burst: More Australian states slap quarantine orders on NZ arrivals

Author
Newstalk ZB / news.com.au,
Publish Date
Thu, 25 Feb 2021, 7:39PM

Three Australian states are now requiring New Zealanders travelling into their country to undergo a mandatory stay in quarantine.

New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland have reimposed Covid restrictions for Kiwis flying into the eastern states following the Valentine's Day community outbreak, which stands at 11 cases.

Auckland has been officially labelled a hotspot by NSW Health, meaning all arrivals from the city will need to go into hotel quarantine.

From 12.01am local time today (Thursday) all arrivals from Auckland into NSW will be required to go into hotel quarantine.

This includes anyone who has been inside Auckland airport, with travellers given the option to pay up for quarantine or leave Australia to head back to New Zealand.

All New Zealand travellers who have arrived in NSW since Saturday have also been ordered to self-isolate.

The move is in response to the three new cases of coronavirus reported in Auckland on Tuesday. The cluster has since swelled to 11.

NSW Health said people who had arrived in the state since February 20 must get tested immediately and quarantine until they get a negative result.

Anyone who attended the same venues as the confirmed cases must self-isolate for 14 days.

"NSW Health continues to monitor the situation and will adjust these requirements as new information emerges," a NSW Health spokesperson said.

The Victorian government also reimposed fresh restrictions, saying Auckland was regarded as a "red zone" and anyone arriving from Auckland into the state needed to undergo 14 days mandatory hotel quarantine for 14 days.

Those who arrived in Melbourne from Auckland on Tuesday would now need to get a Covid test and quarantine until they received a negative result.

Earlier on Wednesday, Queensland shut its border to New Zealand, ordering any travellers entering the state after 6pm local time on Wednesday to go into hotel quarantine.

Queensland chief health officer Jeannette Young said New Zealand was no longer a "safe travel country", so all "green flights" would need to stop.

Travellers who have been in New Zealand since February 21 are also urged to get tested and isolate until they receive their results.

It also applies to anyone who has entered from February 6 who has not already been tested.

"New Zealand is working very hard to contain this community transmission, but they are still in a critical stage of their response, so we need to keep watching closely," Dr Young said.

"Things can change really quickly with this virus – we've seen that in other countries around the world – which is why I am asking Queenslanders to reconsider their need to travel to New Zealand."

Take your Radio, Podcasts and Music with you