The travel bubble would at first only be open to residents of the South Island — as the country deals with a cluster of cases on the North Island. Australian Federal Trade, Tourism and Investment Minister Simon Birmingham yesterday said he hoped Aussies would be able to travel to New Zealand by the end of 2020. ", - additional reporting, Lynley Bilby, rnz. Peters yesterday said work on transtasman travel arrangements has sped up in recent weeks and that Tasmania and Queensland would likely be the first states to open up for travellers from New Zealand. Palmerston North Hospital has first Covid-19 case, Manawatū's fifth coronavirus case confirmed; no-visitor the rule for Palmerston North Hospital, Measures tighten as MidCentral braces for coronavirus lockdown, Election 2020: Jacinda Ardern, Judith Collins fire up in fierce second leaders debate, The Air New Zealand domestic route that didn't survive Covid-19 lockdown, Quiz: Morning trivia challenge: October 1, 2020, Live: Judith Collins clobbers Advance NZ, Labour takes on supermarkets, US election 2020: World reacts with worry to first Trump, Biden debate. In a press briefing on Friday, Jacinda Ardern announced the alert level extension and said while there was "discussion" around allowing the South Island to drop to level 1, it just wasn't practical. "Ultimately we're a very mobile country - people travel a lot and the best protection is just keeping in place those risk mitigations like social distancing and gathering restrictions, in case we see it go beyond [Auckland].". It was something she would be raising with Scott Morrison when they spoke next. AKL. Ardern confirmed work had been underway for weeks on the prospect of forming a bubble, and the ability to move between parts of both countries that were not affected by Covid-19. If you are most unwell, call an ambulance. Credits: Video - Newshub ; Image - Getty. "It's the Victorian situation that's our greatest concern but I think we can be certain that, whereas some were saying by Christmas, we should be able to do it much sooner than that.". The new cases were all associated with overseas travel or had contact with another known case, according to the district health board's website. "This recent hotspot decision by Australia, they working around detail on their side about what that would look like, whether or not they would include all of New Zealand or whether they would include hotspots for us too.". "There is a sense of readiness, and the staff are well prepared, although like everyone else, they are anxious.". She said the time between announcement of the lockdown and admission of the first Covid-19 case this week had been a blessing, when staff had developed and practised new procedures. It's expected New South Wales residents would later be able to also travel here by Christmas time. Those travellers wouldn't be required to quarantine once they arrived in Australia.
That means the whole country will remain at the same alert level, with Aucklanders being urged to remain vigilant against the virus by sticking to their stricter 'level 2.5' restrictions - no matter where they are. There were four people aged in their 20s, five in their 30s, two in their 40s, four in their 50s, two in their 60s and two aged 70 or over. There are currently 112 active cases of COVID-19 in New Zealand, 75 in the community linked to the south Auckland cluster, and 37 at the Government's managed isolation facilities. "If you have an exacerbation of an existing illness, reach out. "We have done the correct thing as a country, giving us the opportunity to be as ready as we can be.". Cook said there were enough testing swabs and testing facilities in the district to cope with everyone who was referred by Healthline or general practice teams. A travel bubble between New Zealand and New South Wales could be open within weeks, according to reports out of Australia. "If you are so unwell you want to see a GP or come to ED, please continue to do so. "We were always open to this. She said it was important to know how Australia was dealing with border issues before any flights took off but gave no timeframe for this to happen. She told NewstalkZB's Mike Hosking earlier discussions with the Australian Prime Minister looked at a "hotspot arrangement" between the two countries. Whether you’re looking to buy or rent, OneRoof.co.nz has everything you need to find your dream home. But travel inside the bubble would initially only be one-way with Kiwis heading to Australia, and restricted to those living in the South Island. Watch: 10 more days in level 2.5 will be a challenge for Auckland businesses. Arthur is a sprightly sailor who turns out to be the son of a Palmerston woman and Tom Neale, a now deceased Kiwi known for living as a hermit on the Cook Island … Act promises to freeze minimum wage for 3 years, return 90-day trials, Twelve new Covid cases - 10 from same Air India flight, 'My parents are looking for me': Father of missing teen's plea on son's birthday, The most important vote in town: Napier aquarium's Penguin of the Year competition returns, Advance NZ loses debate injunction against MediaWorks, New clues on who gets mild or severe Covid-19 symptoms, Melania Trump's 'uncomfortable' moment after presidential debate, Murder accused mum loses battle over cremation after girl's sudden death, Euthanasia debate: 'A compassionate piece of law'. Kiwis back euthanasia, support for legalising cannabis up in smoke? "And then you've also got to make sure you've got routes that do not have transit passengers on them," said Ardern.
Palmerston North Hospital's first Covid-19 patient has been discharged, while a seven-bed intensive care unit and a recently-emptied ward stand ready for an anticipated influx of cases. A travel bubble between New Zealand and New South Wales could be open within weeks, according to reports out of Australia. "Keep in mind, of course, there are those in the South who would have good reason to want to travel into the north as well - it's not just one way," she said. She confirmed work had continued all the way through to setting up safe travel arrangements. But travel inside the bubble would initially only be … With community outbreaks of coronavirus in hand both here and in the premier state, the federal government would initially only allow for Kiwi residents to come to Australia, according to a report from the Sunday Telegraph. Ardern said Aucklanders should continue to trace their movements, only gather in small groups and be mindful of their social distancing - plus remember masks are mandatory on flights, public transport and taxis. The Queenstown-Lakes District Mayor is excited by new reports of a potential trans-Tasman bubble on the horizon, but warns it must be a two-way arrangement.
From breaking news to debate and conversation, we bring you the news as it happens. People coming into the hospital would, in most cases, have to come alone. On the go and no time to finish that story right now?
This morning Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told TVNZ1's Breakfast this morning a state-by-state trans-Tasman bubble was "possible" before Christmas. "We're working hard to make sure every safety precaution and measure is in place through our airports, our border protections, screening processes, to make sure people can travel safely between Australia and New Zealand without risk of encountering other air travellers that may be coming in from higher risk countries. Nationally the total number of confirmed and probable cases was 797, up 89 from the day before, with 13 people in hospital including two in intensive care. "One of the things we said as part of our criteria was that anywhere we have quarantine-free travel, they have to be free of community transmission for a period of time, 28 days. Most Palmerston Island hotels also offer free cancellation. "We don't want people suffering in their homes and thinking they can't get access.". At the same time Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters is talking up the transtasman bubble saying he's optimistic there could be limited travel between the two countries before Christmas. READ MORE: * Palmerston North Hospital has first Covid-19 case * Manawatū's fifth coronavirus case confirmed; no-visitor the rule for Palmerston North Hospital * Measures tighten as MidCentral braces for coronavirus lockdown. Mood of the Boardroom debate: Robertson digs knife into Goldsmith over errors, Man who left hospital without treatment found, and arrested, 'People ought to have some, some way of saying this is long enough.'. All of NZ's recorded COVID-19 cases are in North Island ... Palmerston North. Palmerston North Hospital's first Covid-19 patient has been discharged, while a seven-bed intensive care unit and a recently-emptied ward stand ready for an anticipated influx of cases. Whether an increase in testing translated into increased numbers of people needing hospital care was still unknown. Covid-19 coronavirus: A reminder of what life is like at alert level 2 - NZ Herald Owner of new business will go with the flow Josh Thomas, who is a director of Woof!
"The hospital is much different to what it was three weeks ago. "We had an early discussion about what that would mean for New Zealand and the transtasman bubble and I expect we'll discuss that again soon," she said. District health board chief executive Kathryn Cook said the hospital was currently quiet and calm and she was confident the hospital and staff were well-prepared. On Friday one more person died, bringing New Zealand's total death toll to 23. 'I've thought about running away': The dilemma for abused mums in the Family Court. "That is going to take a long time for Australia to get back to that place. Covid 19 coronavirus: Australia overseas travel restrictions extended until December - NZ Heral... New Zealand top of Australian travel wish list, but expect delays - NZ Herald. Our view was that we would always be able to get movement between Australia and New Zealand open sooner if they were taking a hotspot or state-by-state approach. The speed on getting it underway would depend on excluding states where Covid was still disrupting communities, citing Victoria, and assurances there were firm borders between those states with infected communities and those you were opening up travel with. Covid 19 coronavirus: Australia's PM Scott Morrison hints at Tasman travel bubble measures - NZ... Transtasman travel bubble on hold till at least March - Air New Zealand boss Greg Foran - NZ He... TO READ THE HERALD'S FULL CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE CLICK HERE, Second leaders debate: Ardern, Collins face off, Fact-check: False claims flood Trump v Biden debate. The Makino Pool car park in Feilding becomes a temporary flu vaccination clinic to help prevent avoidable hospital admissions.
As COVID-19 cases dropped in … Act also wants employees to be responsible under the Health and Safety Act. They have included eight men and 11 women, with no cases aged under 20 years old. The hospital was equipped with seven ventilators, and others could be moved from the theatres.