The announcement of a new trans-Tasman, quarantine free travel bubble this week was welcome relief to Fleurieu Peninsula and Kangaroo Island residents who enjoy skiing and visiting New Zealand.

The new bubble will begin on Monday April 19 and Queenstown Airport Corporation (QAC) chief executive Colin Keel says he is, “thrilled that quarantine-free travel with Australia will begin before the end of the month”.

“Initially, we are expecting about 40 flights (arrivals and departures) between Australia and Queenstown,” he says.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced that a quarantine-free travel bubble with Australia will begin at 11:59pm on April 18.

The NZ Director-General of Health, Ashley Bloomfield, has advised her that the risk of transmission of Covid-19 from Australia to New Zealand is low, that quarantine-free travel is safe to commence, and that he was confident in both countries’ ability to manage a travel arrangement.

The PM says since the pandemic began sacrifices have been made: “One sacrifice we’ve had to bear... has been not being able to see friends and family who live in Australia.”

She says safely opening up travel to another country is, “an important step forward in our Covid response”.

The PM warns, however, that travel will not be without risk. Just there are alert levels to manage Covid in New Zealand so there will be three levels - 'continue, pause and suspend' - to manage the trans-Tasman bubble.

She says travel can continue without restrictions if Covid cases are well-contained at the border, for instance; but if a case is not clearly linked to a known source or a state-issued lockdown then a pause will create a temporary halt to travel between that state and New Zealand.

And if multiple cases of an unknown origin are recorded then travel will be suspended.

The bubble will operate on a state-by-state basis within Australia. If there is a community outbreak in one state, travelling Kiwis in that state may have to stay put, self-isolate or be tested, but Kiwis in other states will not necessarily be affected.

Passengers flying to and from Australia will pass through a 'green zone' on arrival which will keep them separated from other passengers arriving from other countries. They will fly on aircraft and with aircrew only operating on trans-Tasman flights.

Only passengers who have been in Australia for 14 days or more will be permitted to fly to New Zealand and vice versa. 

A one-way safe travel bubble was opened between Auckland and Sydney in October last year without requirement to quarantine in Sydney, but until now it has never been reciprocated with passengers arriving in New Zealand always having to stay in quarantine for 14 days.