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- The travel bubble between Australia and New Zealand has burst after Auckland recorded three cases of the U.K. variant of COVID-19
- Flights between Sydney and New Zealand have been cancelled for three days as parts of the country go into lockdown
- Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern placed Auckland into a level three lockdown after three members of the same family tested positive
- One of the family members works at Auckland Airport, however, testing is underway to determine how they contracted the virus
- Anyone who arrived from New Zealand into Australia on Sunday will be asked to undertake a mandatory 14-day quarantine
The travel bubble set up between Australia and New Zealand has burst after Auckland recorded three cases of the highly transmissible U.K. variant of COVID-19.
The infections were picked up by authorities on Sunday, prompting the NSW Government to suspend flights between Sydney and New Zealand for 72 hours as parts of the country go into lockdown.
Anyone who arrived in Australia from New Zealand on Sunday will be asked to undertake a mandatory 14-day quarantine, while anyone who arrived from the country earlier in the month will be contacted by health authorities.
These measures are supported by a new hotspot identification under the Air Transportation Public Health Order declared by the NSW Chief Health Officer, and effective as of 12.01am this morning.
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) February 15, 2021
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced the lockdown on Sunday after three members of the same family tested positive for the highly virulent strain of COVID-19.
Auckland has been placed under level three restrictions, which essentially mean residents must stay home as often as they can, with work and schools only open for essential workers.
The restrictions will last until Wednesday night, while the rest of New Zealand has been placed under level two restrictions, which allows for more flexibility of movement.
“It’s essentially us trying to just make sure that we are taking a precautionary approach given how much travel there has been over this period and given we quite haven’t put a ring around this case just yet,” the PM said of the lockdown in Auckland.
One of the three residents who tested positive for the U.K. variant of the virus is a worker at Auckland’s main airport, where they help clean airline cabin crew’s laundry.
Authorities in New Zealand aren’t sure how the person contracted COVID-19, but extensive testing is now underway.
Prime Minister Ardern confirmed this testing would extend to New Zealanders who recently arrived in Australia as well.
“Equally, we’re reaching out to our overseas counterparts that do sequence passengers who disembark and go into isolation at other destinations, so for instance in Australia to see if we can find a match there,” she explained.
So far, no new locally acquired cases have been recorded in Auckland or Sydney.
