New Zealand and the Cook Islands have agreed to a travel arrangement, the leaders of the two countries have announced, while Australians must wait a while longer to fly across the ditch.
New Zealand’s prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, and her Cook Islands counterpart, Mark Brown, instructed officials to put in place measures to safely recommence two-way quarantine-free travel in the first quarter of 2021.
“The arrangement recognises the special ties between New Zealand and the Cook Islands. It will allow people to travel more easily between our two countries, while acknowledging that the priority remains to protect our populations from COVID-19,” Ardern said.
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Brown noted that free movement between New Zealand and the Cook Islands was central to their close relationship and integral to the islands’ recovery from the coronavirus.
“This arrangement is the next step towards resuming many aspects of life in the Cook Islands that have been disrupted by Covid-19, including access to health and education, and reuniting family and friends,” he said.
The announcement came on the same day as the Australian state of Queensland opened its borders to New Zealanders, joining New South Wales and the Northern Territory. New Zealanders are allowed to travel to Australia without isolating, but must quarantine for two weeks on their return.
Australians eager to travel to New Zealand have to wait however as Ardern has ruled out a trans-Tasman bubble until February at the earliest.
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