New Community Covid-19 Cases In New Zealand Lead To Cook Islands Travel Bubble Uncertainty

Talks on developing a travel bubble between Cook Islands and New Zealand are hanging in the balance after the confirmation of two new community Covid-19 cases in NZ on Wednesday.

Office of the Prime Minister spokesperson Jaewynn McKay said the Government is actively monitoring the situation in New Zealand.

Any decisions, including changes to quarantine requirements for new arrivals, are hinging on whether any changes are made to alert levels in NZ, she said.

On Wednesday evening, the New Zealand government confirmed it wouldn’t be implementing nationwide lockdowns and will remain at Level 1.

Yesterday, NZ’s Covid-19 response minister Chris Hipkins and Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield disclosed three new Covid-19 cases – two in the community and one in a managed quarantine facility.

Hipkins said one of the community cases, located in Auckland and described as an Auckland University of Technology student, differs from other recent community cases as no links to the border or to a quarantine facility have been identified by officials.

“A likely source of infection has not been identified with certainty,” he said during a Wednesday afternoon press conference. Those who work in Auckland’s central business district have been asked to work from home.

Yesterday’s development comes as a group of four technical officials from New Zealand are expected to arrive in Rarotonga on Friday to assess the feasibility of a travel bubble between the two countries.

McKay said the NZ delegation is expected to consist of two health officials, one from immigration, and a customs official, and will be meeting their Cook Islands counterparts during the visit.

A spokesperson at New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said discussions were underway to determine how the new Covid-19 cases would affect the delegation’s plans.

Plans for the visit were announced by PM Jacinda Ardern last weekend after their weekly Cabinet meeting. No timeframes on a potential travel bubble were given by Ardern.

“I wanted to demonstrate that there is very real work being undertaken here,” she said during a post-Cabinet press conference.

“We do see that we have a role to make sure that New Zealand passport holders can move between Realm countries and New Zealand, but we are going to do it in a way that keeps in mind the wishes of the Cook Islands and the safety of New Zealanders.”

Last month, Cook Islands Cabinet lifted the requirement for 14 days of supervised quarantine for incoming Cook Islanders, permanent residents, and valid work permit holders, drawing protests from the Opposition and traditional leaders.

Te Marae Ora Ministry of Health secretary Dr Josephine Aumea Herman defended the decision at the time, saying the risk to the public was low and quarantine was not required for new arrivals from Auckland – despite the announcement of several new cases in NZ.

“Should the situation change, these changes will be communicated to the public, and the evidence for our response will guide our recommendations to Cabinet,” Herman said.

(Source: Cook Islands News)