Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has indicated travel with New South Wales could be closed for the rest of 2021, unless the state gets on top of its outbreak and returns to zero Covid-19 in the community.
New South Wales announced 283 cases on Monday, bringing the total to 4662 active cases in the state. Twenty-nine people have died in the latest outbreak.
If the pandemic is not contained in New South Wales, its unlikely well see the bubble resume this year.
The trans-Tasman travel bubble was paused in July for two months after a surge in cases across multiple states, and will be reassessed at the end of September.
New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian told reporters last week,Given where numbers are, given the experience of Delta overseas, we now have to live with Delta one way or another, and that is pretty obvious.”
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Ardern was asked about the Berejiklian’s comments on Monday, and was emphatic in her response: If it is not contained, you wont see quarantine-free travel reopen.
Ardern said there is a little bit more time to run before we make those final decisions.
While we are vaccinating our general population, we are not going to expose them to quarantine-free travel with a state that has Covid in circulation in the community, Ardern said.
Epidemiologist Professor Tony Blakely also told the ABC “This is a different game now. Delta is really changing the rule book. In Sydney and New South Wales, it looks unlikely that we’re going to get back to zero transmission any time soon and probably never.
Our Government has a goal of offering everyone a vaccine by December 2021, although Wellington health officials expect they will still be vaccinating people in February 2022.
If Covid-19 was not eliminated in New South Wales, that could mean quarantine-free travel is paused until the end of the year, or longer if our rollout is delayed.
In New Zealand, more than 2.2 million dosesof the Covid-19 vaccine have been administered up until 11.59pm on August 8.Of these, 1.38 million are first doses and 820,000 are second dose.
The bubble was designed to allow New Zealanders and Australians to travel between the countries without staying in mandatory managed isolation hotels.
Both countries had essentially eliminated Covid-19 when the bubble was launched, but border leakages in Australia and subsequent outbreaks have seen parts of the bubble shut several times.
The Greater Sydney region is in lockdown until at least August 29.