NZ travellers now allowed into SA without quarantine; Marshall to request the reverse from Ardern
Premier Steven Marshall will write to New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Wednesday to seek entry for South Australians, a day after Kiwi tourists were allowed into our state.
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New Zealand would be our first overseas travel destination since the coronavirus pandemic, under an official pitch for a two-way trans-Tasman bubble harnessing South Australia’s reputation as a COVID-safe state.
The state’s top cop on Tuesday revealed SA would join the visitor scheme allowing unrestricted Kiwi travel and direct NZ flights, which officials say will boost tourism. Direct flights from Adelaide to Auckland could now be weeks away.
Police Commissioner and COVID-19 co-ordinator Grant Stevens also eased certain Victorian travel, including for border communities, after the Transition Committee debated restrictions.
Premier Steven Marshall will on Wednesday write to NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, seeking permission for NZ travel to resume.
“South Australia is the safest state in the safest nation, which is why I will be sending a letter to (Ms) Ardern seeking reciprocal travel rights for South Australians heading to New Zealand,” Mr Marshall told The Advertiser.
“If this request is successful, it will mean South Australians travelling to New Zealand will not need to quarantine when arriving.”
The Federal and New Zealand governments are still in talks about the travel bubble and when Australians could fly across the Tasman.
A spokeswoman for Ms Ardern, who won a second term at the weekend in a landslide, did not respond before deadline on Tuesday night.
Before the pandemic, Air New Zealand flew four direct flights a week between Adelaide and Auckland while Kiwi tourists are the state’s fourth biggest visitor group.
Talks continue between Adelaide Airport officials and the airline.
Adelaide Airport boss Mark Young said allowing New Zealanders into SA was “an important first step in the right direction” for tourism and exporters.
“We’ve been in discussions with Air NZ throughout the pandemic and hope that we can soon see the resumption of direct flights,” he said.
An airline spokeswoman declined to comment.
Welcoming the bubble decision, federal Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham hoped NZ would soon reciprocate, given both countries’ success in fighting the virus.
“A reciprocal arrangement would create an attractive and enticing opportunity for New Zealanders to holiday in SA, providing an economic and tourism boost for our state,” the SA senator said.
“Given the close ties between our countries it would also help to reunite many people with loved ones over the Christmas period. A reciprocal opening between these two COVID-safe destinations would increase the prospects of that flight being reinstated.”
SA Tourism boss Rodney Harrex said officials had been “working hard to be front of mind with any trans-Tasman travel bubble”.
“Now that the health advice says it is possible to do so, we are ready and waiting to welcome our Kiwi friends back,” he said.
Business SA will today call for a special government funding support package for the tourism and events supply chain industry.
Mr Stevens, who sits on the committee with other senior officials including chief public health officer Professor Nicola Spurrier, revealed the immediate changes after days of confusion over the bubble rules.
As SA Health on Tuesday recorded no new virus cases, and monitored eight infectious patients in the city’s Pullman medi-hotel, a group of 12 Kiwi travellers were released from mandatory hotel quarantine across the CBD within hours of Mr Stevens’ decision.
Some hit out at the “confusing” rules.
The NZ travellers had arrived at Adelaide Airport over the past two days from Sydney as part of the formal bubble, which included New South Wales.
Local authorities had deemed them international travellers, meaning they were required to quarantine at Adelaide-based medi-hotels.
SA Health last night said they would be charged a pro-rata rate for their time in hotel quarantine.
Mr Stevens said he made no apologies for the process.
“It is unfortunate that people have to be disadvantaged in this regard but we don’t apologise for taking steps to ensure the safety of the South Australian community,” he said.
“These people have been inconvenienced for a relatively short period of time whilst we made a proper assessment of the risk to South Australia.
“They should be very happy that we can release them from their quarantine.
“It’s unfortunate. You can couch this as something that shouldn’t have happened but we followed the process.
“We made a decision based on information and proper evidence, and that decision has enabled us to relax this current requirement.”
Mr Stevens said no review would be launched in the wake of the events.
“These are complex decisions by people working incredibly hard to make sure we do the right thing by South Australians,” he said.