Quarantine-Free Travel from Victoria to New Zealand (one-way) will be paused from 7.59pm NZT and be in place for 72 hours initially. As with previous pauses, it will be under constant review.
Five linked positive cases of COVID-19 in Melbourne’s northern suburbs have been confirmed by the Health Authority in Victoria.
New Zealand officials have assessed that the most cautious option is to pause the travel bubble with Victoria as there are still several unknowns with the outbreak.
If you are in Victoria, Australia and visited any of the locations of interest at the times and dates specified, you must not travel to New Zealand within 14 days from when you were at the location.
Information about locations of interest are provided on the Victoria Health website and are being updated regularly coronavirus.vic.gov.au/exposure-sites Airlines and border officials will be asking people to declare whether they have been at one of the locations of interest.
If you have, you will not be able to travel from Melbourne, or any border in Australia to NZ.
Anyone in NZ who has been at a location of interest in Melbourne at the specified time should contact Healthline on 0800 358 5453 as soon as possible for advice on isolating and testing.
Anyone who has visited Melbourne since 11 May should monitor for symptoms and seek advice from Healthline if any symptoms develop. Quarantine-Free Travel flights from New Zealand to Melbourne will continue at this stage.
If you are planning to travel to Victoria, you should follow health advice and be prepared for possible disruption to travel plans.
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The pause in New Zealand’s Quarantine Free Travel with Victoria will be extended until 7.59pm NZT on Friday 4 June. This is following today’s announcement in Melbourne of a growing number of cases, more exposure events and the high risk nature of some of these events.
Victoria has put in place a seven-day lockdown from 11.59pm tonight with local residents now required to stay home following confirmation of additional locally-acquired cases of COVID-19, increasing exposure sites and a large and growing number of close contacts.
The pause extension is based on the public health risk assessment to further protect New Zealanders. Our public health staff remain in close contact with Victorian authorities about the actions being taken in Melbourne.
Four COVID-19 cases in Melbourne – restrictions on those who visited locations of interest The Ministry of Health is actively monitoring the situation in Melbourne and remains in close contact with Australian health agencies.
However, there will be testing and isolation requirements on people who have been in locations of interest in Melbourne, including those who have travelled back to New Zealand in recent days.
The Ministry’s current assessment is that the public health risk is appropriately managed through the actions taken by Victorian health authorities.
QUARANTINE-FREE TRAVEL UPDATE
The Ministry of Health has confirmed that the public health risk to New Zealand remains low following further discussions with Victoria state health officials this evening.
At this stage, the Ministry’s recommendation is that Quarantine Free Travel between New Zealand and the state of Victoria can continue. No further community cases have been identified in Victoria.
Health officials in Victoria continue to undertake contact tracing relating to the case announced yesterday. All initial test results from contacts are negative.