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Summary
- 5 new coronavirus cases have been identified in Melbourne in last 2 days.
- New Zealand pauses its travel bubble with Victoria and has issued an advisory for Kiwis.
- The travel suspension would come into force from 7:59 PM NZDT and would last for 72 hours, subject to the prevailing condition.
COVID-19 continues to spook the entire world with new variants and has wreaked enormous havoc in some regions, especially the sub-continent.
The emergence of five new cases in Melbourne in the previous two days has prompted the New Zealand Government to temporarily suspend the quarantine-free travel arrangement between NZ and Victoria.
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5 Melbournians test positive for COVID-19
The five coronavirus cases were linked to a past one in Wollert, recorded on 11 May. All of them have been identified with the Indian variant of COVID-19.
The travel halt would come into effect from 7:59 PM NZDT, 25 May, and is initially for 72 hours. The authorities would keep a close watch and would constantly monitor the whole situation.
Read: NZ-WA flights put on hold after COVID-19 outbreak in Perth
Protocols issued by Victoria
With the detection of new COVID-19 cases, the Victoria state government has issued a set of new protocols with w.e.f. 6:00 PM AEST, 25 May. It also imposes a cap of 30 people at a public gathering and a limitation of 5 people at private gatherings.
Also, wearing of face masks has been made compulsory, even indoors. However, schools and workplaces would remain open.
At present, Australia’s Victoria has 13 cases of coronavirus.
Read: NZ Removes NSW Travel Ban; Vaccination Of Tokyo Olympic-Bound Australian Athletes to Start
Further, Australia has imposed 2-week travel restrictions for flying to New Zealand for those who have been to the regions of interest.
Advisory issued by the New Zealand authorities
New Zealand's Ministry of Health has advised the Kiwis who had travelled to Melbourne on or after 11 May. These individuals must monitor their symptoms and if need be, self-isolate themselves and go for testing.
Kiwi Government keeping a tab
The NZ Government has stated that it was closely working with its Australian counterpart and was actively supervising the situation.
Read: Aussie PM To Visit NZ On May 30 After Trans-Tasman Bubble Opened Last Month
When the trans-Tasman travel between the two neighbours commenced on 19 April 2021, the Government had chalked out a contingency plan to deal with such an outbreak.
