New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced on Tuesday that Residents of Australia and New Zealand will be able to travel freely between the two countries without needing to quarantine starting April 19

Though most Australian states have allowed quarantine-free visits from New Zealanders for months, New Zealand has continued mandatory quarantine from its neighbour, citing concern about small COVID-19 outbreaks there.

While New Zealanders have mostly been able to enter Australia without restrictions since October, Wellington had held off on allowing Australians to do the same due to frequent recurrence of COVID-19 clusters across Australia.

The virus has effectively been eradicated in both countries, with minor outbreaks a result of leakage from quarantined returned travellers. Australia has recorded about 29,400 virus cases and 909 deaths since the pandemic began, while New Zealand has had just over 2,100 confirmed cases and 26 deaths. "The Trans-Tasman travel bubble represents a start of a new chapter in our COVID response and recovery, one that people have worked so hard at," Ardern told reporters in the New Zealand capital Wellington.

"That makes New Zealand and Australia relatively unique. I know family, friends and significant parts of our economy will welcome it, as I know I certainly do." Other neighbouring countries have proposed special travel zones, but the New Zealand-Australia arrangement is among the first that does not involve mandatory COVID-19 testing.

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