WELLINGTON, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Further government actions announced on Thursday are balanced to provide more certainty for Kiwis wanting to return from Australia, while continuing to protect New Zealand from COVID-19, New Zealand acting Minister for COVID-19 Response Ayesha Verrall said.
The actions were foreshadowed last week and as part of the earlier process of managing the return of New Zealand residents from Australia's New South Wales where the number of COVID-19 cases surged recently.
When announcing a temporary suspension of the travel bubble with Australia last week, the government provided a seven-day grace period for eligible travelers in states and territories other than New South Wales to return, Verrall said in a statement.
Evidence of a negative result from their COVID-19 pre-departure test with acceptable documentation to the specified standard is required before boarding and returnees from Australia's Victoria must also isolate at home until a negative test is returned. If travelers cannot provide proof of a negative pre-departure test, they will not be allowed to travel.
"Agencies have been working closely with airlines and have advised that demand has dropped off in the last couple of days, with cancellations now outweighing new bookings and around 3,000 seats still available," Verrall said.
Extra flights have been put on where required, for example from Australia's Brisbane and Melbourne, and extra capacity has opened up on flights from Perth as people have cancelled their flights. Travelers also have the option to transit via other airports in Australia, she said.
Based on this advice, the window will close at 11:59 p.m. local time on Friday, she added.
"We believe most eligible travelers who wish to come back have taken the necessary steps to do so and we're urging those who might still be deciding to act immediately," Verrall said.
Quarantine free travel between Australia and New Zealand started in April but was suspended last week due to worsening COVID-19 situation in some Australian states. Enditem
