Victoria to join New Zealand bubble from November 9
Victoria will officially join a number of others states in the New Zealand bubble with direct flights to begin from Monday. Victoria has not recorded any new COVID cases or deaths for an entire week.
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Direct international flights from New Zealand into Melbourne will be allowed to resume from Monday.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announced on Friday that he had written to Prime Minister Scott Morrison that morning confirming the flights could resume on November 9.
“That is direct flights into Tullamarine from New Zealand so that New Zealanders will be able to travel direct to Melbourne and throughout Victoria,” Mr Andrews said.
“While we found ourselves inadvertently in the New Zealand bubble, I’m not sure if bubbles have doors but the front door will now be (open).”
The Premier said the next logical step after Monday would be to reboot hotel quarantine as soon as possible and receive flights with returned overseas travellers.
But he said the government would wait until after they received advice from the Board of Inquiry’s interim report, which was expected to be released at noon on Friday, to make any announcements regarding hotel quarantine.
Mr Andrews said it would be up to individual airlines as to when the first flight would land in Melbourne, but they would be allowed to do so from Monday. “We’ll be able to have landing in Melbourne again flights right across the world,” Mr Andrews said.
“That will be a challenge though, because as Victoria is reporting very low numbers, Australia is reporting very low numbers, (in) so many parts of the world this virus is completely and utterly out of control.
“The likelihood of people wanting to return into our country, and returning with the virus, is obviously higher than it’s ever been.
“That will be a real challenge but I think we’re equal to it.”
Mr Andrews said New Zealanders would not have to quarantine when they arrived in Melbourne.
“Rather than people coming here via another state, the back door of the bubble, now is the time, because cases are so low, we’re opening up, we can have flights coming from New Zealand direct into our city and state,” he said.
Mr Andrews said it would be up to individual airlines and the airport as to when the first flight would land in Melbourne, but they would be allowed to do so from Monday.
“It may not happen from Monday but that when we’re happy to have it happen,” he said.
“I think Melbourne Airport will be very keen to have those flights land.”
VICTORIA GOES A WEEK WITH ZERO CASES, DEATHS
It comes as Victoria recorded its seventh straight day of zero new coronavirus cases and no deaths on Friday as the state prepares for a further easing of restrictions on Sunday.
The 14-day rolling average for metropolitan Melbourne remains well below the safe threshold of five, falling from 1.4 to 1.3 overnight.
The number of cases from an unknown source remained steady at two and active cases fell to 15.
About 18,000 test have been received overnight.
Two Victorians are in hospital receiving care.
The last positive cases of coronavirus in Victoria were on October 30 when four infections were recorded, with no new infections reported on Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday.
Victoria hasn’t recorded seven or more consecutive days of zero new COVID-19 cases since between February 1 and 21.
Premier Daniel Andrews praised Victorians who have come forward to get tested, and foreshadowed that further restrictions will be eased on Sunday.
It comes after the last remaining active case of COVID-19 linked to an aged care facility outbreak in Victoria was cleared on Wednesday afternoon, the first time there has been no active cases since June 15.
At the height of the second wave in August there were at least 2075 active coronavirus cases in aged care.
YOUNG PEOPLE MOST LIKELY TO GET TESTED
Victorians aged 20-39 are being tested for coronavirus at a higher rate than other age groups.
The group were some of the most heavily represented in Victorian hospitals during Victoria’s second wave, and made up more than a third of COVID-19 cases during June and July.
New data from the Department of Health shows that, to October 31, more than 555,000 people aged 20-29 and 604,000-plus aged 30-39 had been tested - more than 15 per cent of the population in those aged groups.
It compared to just 9.9 per cent of Victorians aged 60-69, 11.8 per cent of those aged 50-59 and 11.6 per cent of 10-19 year olds.
The Department of Health said it was grateful to those who had come forwarded for testing, adding that it was “so important, no matter what your age, if you notice even the mildest symptoms you get tested as soon as possible”.
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