OPINION: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's biggest challenge of 2021 is a monumental one: opening the border. Australia's borders look set to remain closed for months, as the Morrison government weighs a proposal to open up travel to and from New Zealand. One of the terms you are about to hear a lot about in 2021 is “herd immunity”. READ MORE: * Covid-19: Promising Pfizer vaccine 'major step' in coronavirus battle, Government says * Covid-19: Dr Anthony Fauci says experts will know whether a coronavirus vaccine is 'safe and effective' by December * WHO scientist: Young may have to wait until 2022 for Covid-19 vaccine. Lives will be saved, trade will be able to resume freely, businesses will be able to look outside their domestic market, and international tourism will resume. However, with fresh outbreaks in New South Wales and Victoria, a travel bubble may not eventuate. This vaccine has been approved in multiple counties for emergency use and is about 95 per cent effective in preventing symptomatic infection. International tourism brings in about $1.5 billion a month - but Roberts said domestic tourism could be a saving grace as it was usually worth $2 billion a month. Once that question had been answered, she said New Zealanders would be able to be less worried about what is happening at the border. A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on May 02, 2020, with the headline 'Australia, NZ may open borders to create 'Trans-Tasman bubble''. It also needs to be frozen at very low temperatures, making it more difficult to transport and distribute than other vaccines. Politicians can hold up statistics saying things are going well, but talking to people on the ground is where you get a real sense of how things are going. Speaking to media this morning, Ardern said the Government was still working through its immunisation strategy, which is centred around a Covid-19 vaccine. So, let's look at New Zealand's roll of the dice when it comes to vaccines. Alert Level 1 All of New Zealand is at Alert Level 1. The Ministry of Health says a general rollout will commence in the second half of 2021, but when it's complete is what we need to focus on. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said New Zealand will not open its borders to the rest of the world for “a long time to come” but has discussed a travel zone with Australia. List of critical purpose reasons to travel. There's been no official word on that yet. travel; travel updates; health & safety; New Zealand set to open borders for NSW, Victoria tourists before Qld. Safe Travel Zone with New Zealand | PM.gov.au Ski hills and other tourist attractions are closed. By David Flynn, May 5 2020. But that may still be a long way off – the Minister of Covid-19 Response Chris Hipkins said some travel restrictions would likely remain in place for another 12 to 18 months. The vaccine must first be proven to be effective, which won't be known for a few months at the earliest. Fall/Winter Note: Andorra is experiencing temporary re-closures and restrictions due to the current situation across Europe. And the weaponry is a needle. Tourism is not encouraged at this time. Australia has put a line in the sand. Now, the crucial question is: can we continue that wave of success with a safe, and quick, roll-out of vaccines and open our borders? Australia reopening for international travel may not happen until late 2021. He added that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade was talking to other countries about an international system to have people certifiably vaccinated. But Ardern said New Zealand's goal is to be at a certain level of immunity before the Government considers changing its border restrictions. The company, a Belgium-based division of Johnson & Johnson, is conducting a substantial phase 3 (or final stage) trial of 60,000 people and the vaccine technology uses a method with a strong safety record in other diseases. And this one can be stored at regular refrigeration temperature. Singapore Ministry of Health has officially announced reopening borders to international travelers from the September 1 but followed up with very strict rules.. An agreement has been signed to purchase up to 5 million vaccines from Janssen Pharmaceutica, and the Ministry of Health says this is likely to require a single dose. Then, if it works, New Zealand won't get this vaccine “until later in 2021”, according to the Ministry of Health. The nine ultra-cold freezers will store 1.5 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine. The country that is first to get its vaccine rollout right will emerge more powerful. The Remarkables in … Those advocating for the Swedish "let it in" model have largely gone quiet, as history proved that was a mistake. Advice on international travel and what happens when you arrive back in NZ, and information on travel visas. Turkey’s international borders are open for travelers from a number of countries, including the U.S., according to the U.S. Embassy in Turkey. Andorra officially reopened borders for international tourism on July 29, 2020. He said that would likely be the subject of a lot of diplomatic discussions but part of that could be a technology solution. Statistics may say domestic tourism is going well, but meeting operators gives you a real sense of the situation. The crucial question is: When will we get enough vaccine to reach herd immunity? People would need to be able to safely go about their day-to-day lives before quarantine rules were eased, she said. It wants the entire population vaccinated by October 2021, and presumably borders will open shortly afterwards. Australia and New Zealand closed their borders to foreign tourists in March as part of a stringent response to the spread of Covid-19, and this has severely impacted tourism in both nations. Other international passenger flights to Beijing continue to be diverted to 16 designated airports in Chengdu, Changsha, Hefei, Lanzhou, Tianjin, Shijiazhuang, Taiyuan, Hohhot, Jinan, Qingdao, Nanjing, Shenyang, Dalian, Zhengzhou, Xi’an and Wuhan. Given two doses will be needed, this is enough for 3.8 million people. Lives aren't in immediate danger here, but livelihoods are the longer borders remain closed. New Zealand’s borders will be reopening to a small number of international postgraduate students soon, but their numbers will be fewer than originally announced by the government last month. Governments, including ours, are taking big gambles with different vaccines. So there is a slim but growing chance that tourism providers will have to wait for the vaccine rollout to be complete before any international tourists arrive. When will our borders open? Listen live to NZ's home of talk radio. Singapore is slowly opening its borders to foreign visitors. Between July and December 2020, only citizens, permanent residents, New Zealanders and a small number of international students are assumed to be able to … Posted 11 m minutes ago. NZ travel bubble being delayed by Australian states' coronavirus border closures, Winston Peters says . Could we reach herd immunity about October, as Australia aims to do? There are no restrictions on the movement of freight. I've just spent 100 days touring New Zealand as part of Stuff Travel's Back Your Backyard campaign. The Ministry of Health hasn't said what level of herd immunity will be required, because it's impossible to say at the moment. But he said some form of travel restrictions would likely remain in place for the next year to 18 months. If all goes according to plan, it's likely that the ATP will be progressively extended to other nationals with Australia a prime candidate. As we sit here enjoying summer without Covid-19 in the community, you may ask: What's the rush? This is probably a more realistic scenario for New Zealand, too. Now, the crucial question is: Can we continue that wave of success with a safe, quick rollout of vaccines and open our borders? Jacinda Ardern on Covid-19 and herd immunity . Ardern’s approach was the right one: We are one of the few countries that have just enjoyed Christmas gatherings without any restrictions. Novavax commenced phase 3 trials in the United States and the United Kingdom. She said the question is: "What will it take us to get, through immunisation, up to that herd immunity [level]?". Travel must be for a reason that we think is critical and is on our critical purpose list. After months of dormancy due to the raging pandemic, the travel industry is gearing up for a return to small normalcy with borders reopening, easing of quarantine requirements, and the creation of travel bubbles. The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine started being rolled out for emergency use in the United Kingdom this week, and our Government has secured access to 7.6 million doses. So far, the results indicate the vaccine is 62 per cent to 90 per cent effective, depending on the dosage. On Friday, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she was keen to reopen NZ's borders with its Pacific island neighbours. "Ultimately, 2021 will be the year of the vaccine," she said. "We do need to know if someone has been vaccinated or not. For countries that get their populations vaccinated fast, the benefits will be measured in the billions. Assuming Medsafe approves them, that'd give enough vaccines for 5.3 million people, well above the roughly 70 per cent to 85 per cent needed for herd immunity. "The sooner we can remove restrictions, the better," he told media this morning. But situations like these will occur all over the world in places where we may have less information from which to estimate how many "silent cases" we might import when we open the borders. Initially, Fauci said 70 per cent to 75 per cent, but that figure has gone higher in recent weeks. A health worker holds a syringe and a Covid-19 vaccine in the vaccination centre of Hotel Dieu in Paris. Universities New Zealand, which represents the country’s eight universities, said 194 eligible students have been contacted and will now start their visa process, reported RNZ . However, some significant hurdles remain. Typically, domestic tourism makes up about 60 percent of the visitor economy. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has revealed New Zealand will need to have a certain level of Covid-19 herd immunity before border restrictions are significantly altered. The prime minister won’t want to see Australia opening its borders while we lag behind despite having the advantage of a smaller population. Another third scenario could involve not enough vaccine arriving in 2021, and herd immunity only being achieved sometime in 2022. So, in the “arms race” I mentioned before, the golden level is likely to be about 70 per cent to 85 per cent of our population – or 3.5 million to 4.25 million New Zealanders. The International Air Transport Association (IATA), based in Geneva, has released new data showing how the pandemic has affected air travel and when it’s expected to recover. Hotels in Cyprus began to reopen on June 1, while international air travel restarted on June 9. Israel wants 25 per cent of its population injected by the end of this month, and so far, on a per-capita basis, it is leading the world in the administration of Covid-19 vaccines. travel; travel updates; Australia’s plan to open borders to NZ comes with $3000 price tag. And most are desperately wanting to know when that will be. Skip to main content. The NZ Covid app could not only show whether someone had been tested and the result of that test, but could also show whether someone had been vaccinated, and by which vaccine. The stakes are massive: Countries that get the rollout right will emerge more powerful in a post-Covid world. Travel restrictions are in place at the border. Well, the biggest arms race of the 21st century is under way – except the arms here are on our bodies. Most foreign students are not expected to return to New Zealand anytime soon, but Education NZ has floated the possibility of letting 500 international students into New Zealand’s borders every month from January, reported NZherald. Further details of international travel requirements are still emerging, but experts have given some insight into what we might expect when those … COVID-19 Alert System Current Alert Level; Alert Level 1; Alert Level 2; Alert Level 3; Regional advice. Thursday 15 October 2020 11:40 Australia is finally reopening its borders to international travel lers, but only those from New Zealand will be allowed in. Our border will not fully open until this is achieved. If it's effective, it would be a huge win for New Zealand given this vaccine only requires one dose and doesn't need to be stored at very low temperatures. Many tourism providers relied on the wage subsidy until September, then hoped the summer period would provide enough cashflow until the Australian bubble opened, potentially in the first quarter of this year. New Zealand has so far been silent on a date. Air Travel Pass – Singapore. Ardern's Government did well in its elimination approach. The results of the phase 3 trial are expected in January or February. By Derek Cheng and Jason Walls, NZ Herald, Simon Barnett and Phil Gifford Afternoons, Australia hoping for 'more reciprocal' trans-Tasman bubble soon, NRL reduces the salary cup in wake of Covid-19, Business confidence up but concerns over plan for potential lockdown, Post-Brexit red tape prompts seafood protest at UK Parliament, The 'Trump Baby' blimp to be housed in a museum, Tennis star's girlfriend complains of washing her own hair in Australian quarantine. New Zealand has 1.5 million doses ordered so far; given that two doses are needed, this is enough for 750,000 people. Unlikely Australia or NZ will have open borders for the leisure industry until well into 2022. And with the problems they’ve had with cruise ships and COVID - 19, I would suggest that the decision on when ships other than local cruises can visit will be dependant on how well the freeing of borders with air/land travel goes. "It doesn't necessarily have to be 100 per cent - we may never get to 100 per cent.". However, having a best guess is important – and the current view of Dr Anthony Fauci (head of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) is “70 [per cent] to 80-plus per cent” of a country's population. “Australia and New Zealand have managed the COVID-19 pandemic extremely well with low rates of infection in both countries,” he said. What you need to do at Alert Level 1. My guess would be Australia's timeline is too optimistic, and it will eventually settle on having it done by the end of 2021. Australia has put a line in the sand. 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