Coronavirus crisis: Trans-Tasman bubble continues despite new Auckland case

Australian health authorites are “watching New Zealand” but the trans-Tasman bubble is yet to pop from a new community COVID-19 case in Auckland.

New Zealand’s Ministry of Health announced the new case on Tuesday afternoon (NZST), just a day after New Zealand dropped quarantine requirements for Australian travellers.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the person was a cleaner on “red zone” flights from high-risk countries, and shouldn’t impact trans-Tasman travel arrangements.

“These are the kind of scenarios where we would anticipate movement continuing,” she said.

“Our Minister of Health has kept in touch with his counterpart. They’re directly communicating and so are our officials.”

RELATED:

AUCKLAND AIRPORT WORKER TESTS POSITIVE TO COVID-19

FULL REVIEW UNDERWAY AFTER SECOND PPE BREACH AT RPH

Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt said the medical expert panel charged with decision-making around COVID-19 had confidence in NZ’s management of the virus

“The advice I have from the Chief Medical Officer who had been in a meeting with the ... Australian Health Protection Principal Committee today is that they’re watching New Zealand, but they have high confidence that New Zealand has this in train,” he said.

“We’ve seen them deal with the inevitable outbreaks and there will be other days when there are cases in Australia.

“We know how to deal with this. New Zealand knows how to deal with this.”

The fresh case came a day after emotional scenes at Kiwi airports as thousands of people took advantage of the trans-Tasman bubble to visit loved ones.

Under the terms of the bubble agreement, Australian states and territories and New Zealand can suspend quarantine-free travel with places that have outbreaks.

In a statement, NZ health authorities said more information would follow later this afternoon.

“The usual protocol of isolating the case, interviewing them, and tracing their contacts and movements is underway,” the statement read.

Ms Ardern said the person received two doses of the Pfizer vaccine, and tested positive as part of mandated weekly testing for Kiwi border workers.

“We entirely expect that people who are vaccinated will still get COVID-19,” she said.

“It just means that they won’t get sick and they won’t die. That’s what the vaccine is for.

“The vaccine is 95 per cent effective at reducing symptomatic onset of COVID-19 ... it doesn’t mean people won’t get it.”

Ms Ardern also said a vaccinated person with COVID-19 was less likely to spread it in the community.

“One of the things we’re seeing in the early data is it reduces down the likelihood you pass it on to others.”