Flights will be organized over the next seven days for New Zealanders stuck in Australia to get home. “Come home while you still can,” New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told New Zealanders in Australia.
In Quarantine
They must be quarantined for two weeks when they return. Depending on the Australian state they visited, they may be self-isolated or have to isolate themselves in a government hotel.
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‘Not an easy decision’
“This is not an easy decision to make,” Ardern said. “But the coronavirus has changed and so we have to change too.” The travel bubble was watched with interest worldwide, which produced beautiful images a few months ago because New Zealanders and Australians could hug each other again:
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Ardern said she spoke with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison this morning and “hopes to reopen the bubble at some point”. “However, that is only possible if it is safe,” Ardern said.
Australia is currently experiencing a resurgence of the coronavirus. A record 136 new infections were reported in the state of New South Wales today. The state has been in a strict lockdown for several weeks, now 14 million of the 25 million Australians are forced to stay at home.
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Excuses Australian Prime Minister
Morrison apologized yesterday for the low vaccination coverage in Australia. Only 11 percent of Australians have been fully vaccinated against the virus. “I am sorry that we have not been able to achieve the goals we hoped for at the start of the year,” Morrison said. “Some things are in our control, others are not.”
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