Travel pause with Western Australia will lift tomorrow

New Zealand will lift the travel pause with Western Australia, effective from midday tomorrow, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said today.

“Quarantine Free Travel will be recommenced from Western Australia at 12 noon, 28 April 2021 for travellers who have not been identified as contacts,” Chris Hipkins said.

“For those identified as close contacts, they will need to complete 14 days of self-isolation and provide evidence of a negative COVID-19 test before departure for New Zealand.

“All casual contacts – those who were at the locations of interest at the published time – will need to self-isolate for 5 days and receive a negative test. An additional New Zealand requirement means they will need to continue to monitor their symptoms in place and will not be allowed to travel to New Zealand until 14 days after they were at the location of interest.

“The Government is satisfied the risk is low, based on the advice of the Director-General of Health, and that the Trans-Tasman Bubble is working largely as planned.

“The advice is that the Perth cluster appears to be contained and the post-lockdown transition response measures the Western Australia Government introduced will provide an additional layer of assurance,” Chris Hipkins said. 

These include mandatory mask wearing in public, while at work and on public transport unless exemptions apply; 20-person limit for private indoor and outdoor gatherings as well as bars, restaurants and cafes; and no visitors to aged and disability care facilities and hospitals, except for compassionate reasons and advocacy. The measures will be in place until 12:01am on Saturday, 1 May 2021.