New Zealand is starting to get back on its feet after it has been declared coronavirus-free. The country has had no new active cases recorded for over two weeks and almost all restrictions will be lifted.
The country’s borders remain closed, but government is in talks over a trans-Tasman travel bubble with Australia. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said that September might be a ‘realistic’ time to instate the travel bubble, according to SBS News. No official date has been set, however.
Neighbouring countries that form part of the Pacific Islands are now lobbying to be included in the travel bubble.
Nacula Island, Yasawa, Fiji
‘Tourism accounts for a significant proportion of GDP in a number of Pacific [countries]. Transtasman neighbours need to consider how Pacific inclusion in travel bubble could work,’ Former Prime Minister Helen Clark said on Twitter.
A massive third of the jobs in Fiji, Palau and Vanuatu are dependent on the tourism industry and at least 40% of gross domestic product, reports the Financial Times.
Some experts argue that it would indeed be safer to open a travel bubble with the Pacifics than with Australia. ‘It would be more logical to start the bubble with Pacific nations completely free of the virus once New Zealand has eliminated it,’ Nick Wilson, professor of public health at the University of Otago told the Financial Times.
Fiji was declared coronavirus-free four days ago.
Image credit: Instagram/ToursimFiji
