The Informer: Two-way trans-Tasman travel bubble given green light

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern today announced a two-way trans-Tasman bubble would begin at 11.59pm on April 18.

It's another exciting step towards a more "normal" way of life as families and friends are able to reunite and tourism can ramp up.

But Ms Ardern warned travellers to be prepared for their plans to be changed at the last minute, including potentially needing to quarantine on arrival.

"People will need to plan for the possibility of travel being disrupted if there is an outbreak," she said.

As we've seen across multiple states in Australia, outbreaks will be dealt with by NZ authorities on a case-by-case basis and restrictions will be implemented based on the relevant risk.

"For instance, if a case is found that is quite clearly linked to a border worker in a quarantine facility and is well contained, you'll likely see travel continue," Ms Ardern said.

"If, however, a case was found that was not clearly linked to the border, and a state responded by a short lockdown to identify more information, we'd likely pause flights from that state in the same way we would stop travel into and out of a region in New Zealand.

"And if we saw multiple cases of unknown origin, we would likely suspend flights for a set period of time."

Australian premiers have been quick to flex their muscles when it comes to border controls between the states and territories, so we are well aware of the risks associated with travel during these times.

But it's positive we can freely travel between the two countries without the need to quarantine, and we have been assured there will be a measured response to the travel bubble if an outbreak occurs.

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