Tasmania is yet to sign up to the trans-Tasman travel bubble

New Zealand travellers have begun arriving in Tasmania under the trans-Tasman travel bubble, but they won’t be free of the state’s quarantine restrictions.

• Tasmanian border reopening rules explained
• Border reopening puts the ‘fear of god’ into state’s hospital nurses

FIVE New Zealand travellers arrived in Tasmania on Sunday as Australia’s “travel bubble” with the nation’s trans-Tasman neighbour begins.

However, as Tasmania is yet to sign up to the bubble, anyone arriving in the state from New Zealand via other states will still be required to enter a 14-day mandatory quarantine.

The travellers flew in to Launceston via Sydney.

“Four travellers from New Zealand have arrived in Tasmania since the travel bubble commenced and a fifth is scheduled to arrive today,” a government spokesman said on Sunday.

“These travellers are required to enter quarantine in a government facility.”

Under Tasmania’s arrivals directions, anyone arriving in the state who has been overseas in the past 14 days must enter government quarantine unless subject to a specific exemption.

The travel conditions associated with New Zealanders seeking to enter Tasmania from other jurisdictions from October 26 will be subject to advice from Public Health over the coming days, the spokesman said.

New Zealand travellers entered WA through trans-Tasman bubble

Acting Immigration Minister Alan Tudge has said the risk of a traveller from New Zealand carrying COVID-19 was “very low”, given the country had no community transmission of the virus.

So far only New South Wales and the Northern Territory are accepting New Zealand travellers without forcing them into quarantine.

New Zealand is yet to agree to accept travellers from Australia.