Australia's eastern states have imposed fresh restrictions on New Zealand travellers in the face of the COVID-19 outbreak in Auckland.
Key points:
- NSW has declared Auckland a COVID-19 hotspot and travellers will now have to quarantine for 14 days
- Victoria has classified the state as a "red zone" following a recent outbreak and is now also enforcing quarantine
- Queensland has removed New Zealand's "safe travel country" designation
NSW, Victoria and Queensland have limited quarantine-free travel now that at least eight cases have been linked to an Auckland high school.
New Zealand authorities say they are confident the outbreak, which prompted a lockdown in New Zealand's biggest city, is under control.
NSW Health said it was contacting travellers who arrived from New Zealand since Saturday, and, as a precaution, those people should get tested and isolate until they get a negative result.
The state has classified Auckland as a hotspot, which mean travellers who have been in the city, including the airport, will be required to complete 14 days of quarantine upon arrival in Australia.
Victorian authorities have classified Auckland as a "red zone", which means anyone arriving in Victoria from Auckland will have to go into mandatory hotel quarantine for 14 days from Thursday.
Those who arrived in Victoria from Tuesday need to get a COVID-19 test immediately and quarantine until they get a negative result.
Earlier on Wednesday Queensland removed New Zealand's "safe travel country" designation. All arrivals to the state will have to quarantine from Wednesday night.
Anyone who has arrived into Queensland from New Zealand since February 6 has been asked to get tested and isolate until they have a negative result.
"New Zealand is working very hard to contain this community transmission, but they are still in a critical stage of their response so we need to keep watching closely," said Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young Dr Young said.
"Acting with an abundance of caution has kept Queenslanders safe and that's exactly the path we will continue to take."
The changes come just three days after quarantine free travel for New Zealanders entering Australia resumed amid fears that the South African strain of coronavirus was circulating there in January.
In easing restrictions on Saturday, Australian Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said the recent cases identified there posed a low risk of COVID-19 spreading in Australia.
"We will continue to move quickly to protect Australians as circumstances change, but we will always endeavour to move just as quickly when those situations are brought under control, or otherwise resolve," Professor Kelly said at the time.
On Tuesday all of New Zealand has moved back to the local level one (lowest tier) restrictions, accept for Papatoetoe High School and its community, which remains at the lockdown level three.
New Zealand's COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said authorities are ramping up testing, but that they're confident the outbreak is under control.
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2021-02-24 14:05:37Z
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