Limited flights to put cap on Tasmania’s SA, WA and NT travel bubble
Tasmania has created ‘safe travel bubbles’ with South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory, beginning August 7.
Tasmania has created “safe travel bubbles” with South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory, to operate from August 7, but the scarcity of direct flights will limit the benefits.
Arrivals from other jurisdictions will continue to be either banned, in the case of Victorians, or subjected to mandatory 14 day hotel quarantine, which from July 31 will cost $2800 per person.
“Tasmania is one of the safest places on the planet, and in Public Health’s view, so are SA, the NT and WA,” Premier Peter Gutwein said on Friday. “We intend to create safe travel bubbles with those three states in two weeks’ time.”
He did not expect his state’s borders to be open to Victoria “in the near future”, while all jurisdictions would need to be free of community transmission of COVID-19 before joining Tasmania’s quarantine-free “bubble”.
Those arriving from bubble jurisdictions would avoid automatic quarantine but undergo health checks. Those displaying coronavirus symptoms would be required to be tested or else forced into hotel quarantine at their own expense.
Mr Gutwein conceded SA, WA and the NT provided only 15 per cent of the usual tourist traffic to Tasmania but said the bubble was a “first step” to reopening tourism.
Bubble jurisdictions, or suburbs or regions within them, could be removed from the arrangement should outbreaks occur, with as little as half an hour’s notice.
He hoped to add Queensland to the bubble arrangement soon but had delayed doing so because of the degree of “mixing” of people during that state’s recent school holidays.
No further bubbles would operate before August 14, he said, while also announcing mandatory COVID-19 tests for essential workers arriving in the state from July 31. Mr Gutwein conceded restrictions in WA may prevent its residents from coming to Tasmania due to concern they may be forced to quarantine on their return home.
The Tourism Industry Council of Tasmania welcomed the announcement.
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