COVID-19: Travel bubble between Australia and New Zealand suspended for 3 more days

Earlier this week, the Australian government suspended the one-way travel bubble into Australia because of an outbreak of a more transmissible strain of COVID-19 at the Pullman Hotel, Auckland, one of New Zealand’s quarantine hotels. The initial suspension was for three days (72 hours) and would have expired today, Thursday at 2 pm.

Suspension extended

Today, Michael Kidd, the acting chief medical officer announced that the suspension would be extended for another three days through until Sunday 31 January 2021.

Test and isolate

There have been 12 arrivals in Australia of people who were resident in the Pullman Hotel at the relevant time. 3 have travelled on to Hong Kong and the remaining 9 are currently located in NSW (7) and Queensland (2). All are being located, contacted, tested and isolated.

Kidd is requesting that anybody who has arrived from New Zealand since 9 January get tested and self isolate until a negative result is notified. That advice applies especially to anyone who stayed at the Pullman Hotel in Auckland.

2PAXfly Takeout

This is another timely reminder to wear your seatbelt when seated. Holding you close to your seat will protect you from the sort of injuries sustained on this flight, when unsecured passengers flew to the ceiling of the aircraft, and then came crashing down once the ‘drop’ ceased.

The hope will be that this is an anomaly – a ‘freak accident’ in casual parlance. If it is a systemic error either mechanical or electronic, then this is a larger concern for the airlines that fly Boeing Dreamliner 787 aircraft. Let’s hope it isn’t. If it is, it will pile on the woes to Boeing’s existing stack.

Those Kiwi’s won’t be happy, but it is a necessary cautionary evil. Lets hope that the suspension is lifted on Sunday.