Travel bubble: New Zealand to open its borders to Cook Islands

Publish Date
Monday, 3 May 2021, 4:09PM

The much-anticipated Cook Islands travel bubble finally has a start date: May 17.

Quarantine-free travel between New Zealand and the Cook Islands can begin in two weeks.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern this afternoon confirmed that all the conditions for the bubble have been met.

But she warned that quarantine-free travel will not be what it was pre-Covid 19.

Travellers will need to plan for the possibility of having travel disrupted if there is an outbreak.

To be eligible to travel to or from New Zealand on a quarantine-free flight, people must not have had a positive Covid-19 test result in the previous 14-day period.

As well as this, they must not be awaiting the results of a Covid-19 test taken during that 14-day period.

Travellers will also be flown by crew who have not flown on any high-risk routes for a set period of time.

And, those who do fly, will be required to wear a mask on their flight – as is the current requirement.

Travellers will also be asked to download and use the NZ COVID Tracer app while in New Zealand – but not required.

There is currently a one-way travel bubble with the Cook Islands - allowing residents to enter New Zealand without having to quarantine for 14 days.

It is one of the few countries in the Pacific, including Tonga, Samoa and Niue, that have been and remain completely free of the virus in the community.

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