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Summary
- New Zealand asks for self-isolation and testing for all the travellers arriving from Melbourne between 20-25 May.
- Contact tracing team working out ways to figure out relevant flights in case of future occurrences.
- The NZ vaccination roll-out schedule ahead by 9%, says Director-General of Health.
- Further stocks of Pfizer vaccines arrive in the country.
The deadly pathogen continues to haunt Melbournians as more COVID-19 cases have emerged and Melbourne lockdown has been extended for 7 more days, which otherwise was supposed to end on Thursday night.
Read: Victoria Declares Week-Long Lockdown, Kiwi Travellers Concerned
Meanwhile, New Zealand authorities suspended the quarantine-free travel arrangement on 25 May to prevent the virus from reaching its shores.
Recommended Reading: What has the COVID-19 pandemic taught us? A look at five key lessons
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Government identifies additional 48 people for testing
The NZ officials have mandated that all the travellers who have visited Greater Melbourne Region since 20 May and at present are in New Zealand must self-isolate themselves and undergo testing.
The Government has stated that most of the flyers who undertook travelling between 20 May-25 May have been tested.
Also, the Health Ministry, upon data reconciliation, has found out a group of 48 people who have been recommended isolation and testing, which is a part of the cohort of 177 people, apart from the previously identified figure of 4,532.
All the original group of 4,532 travellers have been contacted and are advised isolation and testing. This brings the total number of visitors arriving from Melbourne to the Kiwi nation between 20 May-25 May to 4,749.
The authorities, along with its contact tracing team, are figuring out effective ways to identify related flights in case of any such future occurrences.
As per the latest update, the total number of active cases in Aotearoa is 17, while 2,638 people have recovered so far.
Future of travel bubble
NZ’s suspension of quarantine-free travel, which was supposed to end at 8pm on Thursday, is likely to be extended in the wake of further extension of Melbourne's lockdown.
Latest update on the NZ vaccination roll-out
NZ’s Director General of Health, Ashley Bloomfield, cautioned that the pandemic was not over with resurgent cases cropping up in other parts of the world.
Must Read: India’s Rising COVID Cases A Cause of Worry
The Kiwis should be extra careful as the nation heads to the harsh winters with cold and flu being the common symptoms.
The country’s vaccination programme is 9% ahead of its schedule. So far, more than 235,000 people have received their 2nd jabs.
Moreover, additional stocks of Pfizer vaccines have reached the country.
A quick read: Auditor General Advises NZ Government To Ramp Up COVID-19 Vaccination Programme
