New-Zealand, Australia resume quarantine-free travel

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quarantine-free travel

On Tuesday, April 6, 2021, New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced to resume quarantine-free travel between New Zealand and Australia. The reported decision will be implemented from April 19, 2021. The quarantine-free trip, also known as the travel bubble, is a step towards returning to the new normal and reviving travelling in the post-corona world. The travel and tourism industry is one of those industries that suffered the most due to the restrictions imposed as a result of the pandemic. It will not only have an impact on the travel industry but also on the overall economy. This decision has been warmly welcomed by Australian Airports Association.

Although travelling is being resumed between the two countries, however, it would not be like how it used to be pre-pandemic. Also, there will be the possibility of terminating the travel at any time when the outbreak takes a severe turn. The airlines, airports, passengers and crew members facilitating this travel bubble between New Zealand and Australia would have to abide by some rules designed explicitly for quarantine-free travel. The flights serving for this purpose would be known as green zone flights, and there will be specific zones for these travelers at the airport known as green zones. Green zones refer to the zones designated explicitly for quarantine-free travel that prevent contact of travelers with others coming to and from other countries.

Travel Bubble:

The term travel bubble may be new to most people as it refers to the latest travelling trend post-pandemic. Although the virus has not been eradicated entirely but as people have become used to the conditions and things are now more under control than at the beginning of 2020, we have seen new trends in almost every field. These trends are actually an effort to incorporate the new normal in our daily routine activities to keep things working in an effective manner. Travel bubble refers to allowing travelling between citizens of two different countries without the restriction of staying in quarantine for fourteen days. After spending almost a year fighting coronavirus, people have understood that they cannot have the same way of travelling, at least at the moment as they used to have pre-pandemic. However, they can make efforts to get it as close to what it used to be as possible. Travel bubbles are also known as corona corridors and travel bridges as they play an essential role in reviving travelling between countries.

Why is it happening?

Both the countries, i.e., New Zealand and Australia, decided to resume quarantine-free travelling because both of them had controlled the virus effectively and better than other developed countries. The number of confirmed cases and deaths reported in both countries is far less than in other countries in the world. It was due to their efficient policies and prompt initiatives that they were able to control the situation at the very beginning. They had closed their borders for foreigners at the start of the pandemic and therefore were able to control the outspread. Moreover, it is a fact that some industries have suffered more than others due to the pandemic, such as tourism. However, businesses based on online structure such as law assignment writing service uk fewer negative impacts. In such a situation, it becomes essential to revive the tourism industry.

Guidelines for quarantine-free travel:

Following are the guidelines and rules that travelers must follow to avail of this travel bubble facility.

  • The traveler must be COVID-19 negative during the previous fourteen days. A person waiting for his COVID-19 test results cannot travel to or from New Zealand.
  • The flight operation of green zones will be handled by the pilots and crew who had not traveled through high-risk areas for a certain period of time.
  • Travelers will not be allowed to travel if they have a cold, flu, fever or other symptoms similar to that of coronavirus.
  • Wearing masks during the flights would be mandatory.
  • The people coming to New Zealand from Australia would have to go through random temperature checks.
  • Travelers would have to provide a pre-departure declaration of health before leaving. They must also provide complete and detailed contact information.

Benefits of this travel bubble:

Without any doubt, the travel and tourism industry suffered the most from the negative impacts of the pandemic and extended-lasting worldwide lockdown as it faced a complete shutdown. It also had an adverse effect on other associated industries. The creation of travel bubbles for keeping the wheel of the travelling industry moving is definitely going to bring powerful impacts on this industry and the economies of both countries. They will get mutual benefits.

Being neighbors, Australia and New Zealand have always shared good strategic, geographical, and political relations. The spread of coronavirus might have brought some gap between them. However, they are hopeful to get things back to their place as soon as possible. For this, they have been making continuous efforts and the news of quarantine-free traveling resuming between them is a significant step forward towards the idea of developing together.

If we talk about New Zealand, tourism is the largest export industry for the country, generating a handsome amount of revenue. Around forty percent of its international arrivals are composed of Australians, which itself highlights the importance of resuming travelling with Australia. Moreover, if both the countries prove themselves successful in ensuring the proper following of health and safety measures, they can get benefits from it. Also, it would serve as a role model for other countries who have successfully controlled the outspread of coronavirus with their intelligent strategies and now want to resume travelling.

The countries whose economies largely depend upon the travel and tourism industry can incorporate the concept of travel bubbles with strict health measures to run their economy smoothly.

Suppose the travel bubble which will be created between New Zealand and Australia remains successful. In that case, they can expand it by adding other neighboring countries to their bubble and providing them with opportunities to boost their economic growth.

As per the surveys, Australians are eagerly waiting for travelling to resume and will readily go for travelling if they get a chance to, till all safety measures are being observed.

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