Australia will quarantine New Zealand travelers following the emergence of new cases of coronavirus in Auckland.
Australia's Department of Health announced that all flights from New Zealand within 72 hours from 12:01 am on February 15 will be classified as "Red Zone" flights, which means that passengers must pass 14 days of supervised hotel quarantine.
Given Auckland's strong track record in controlling Covid-19, travelers from New Zealand have been allowed to fly to Australia, although the 'travel bubble' between the two neighbors remains elusive due to the outbreak in Australia.
"The country will determine how to handle people who have come to Australia from New Zealand and who could pose a risk of contracting the COVID-19 virus," the department said.
Australian officials will also decide whether to extend the suspension of the bubble based on the number of cases in New Zealand.
According to the New Zealand government's Covid-19 website, three new cases have emerged in the community, with Auckland under lockdown as of midnight on Wednesday, February 17.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has confirmed that the three new local cases are the highly contagious variant B1.1.7, which was initially detected in the UK.
Cirium scheduling data shows that airlines offered just 28,000 seats on trans-Tasman routes in January 2021, 97% less than the 944,000 seats in January 2020.
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