Trans-Tasman bubble (Quarantine-Free Travel)

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#2687620 7-Apr-2021 06:17

gmball:

The logistics of R&D and manufacturing a dedicated single purpose device for a few million people? When most of us already own a smartphone? (BTW there's bluetooth tracing now using the framework from Google and Apple, though I wish that bit didn't take so long)

Though it wouldn't be a bad idea if it filled the gap of people who don't have smartphones, and those who had smartphones could just use them (with bluetooth tracing)

Yes but now we have an app which hardly anyone uses? I think the purpose of the Covid card was it took the responsibility away from needing to scan. Simply just needed to carry the card. I guess for some, carrying the card would have been too difficult too.

In my regular supermarket visit, I'd say maybe 1 in 10 are scanning? Gym, no one scans. Food outlets, very rarely see anyone scan.

Unless government make it a requirement to scan, I can't see behaviours changing. I guess the question being how would they enforce it?

It's not a problem with the new Zealand app, it's a problem with all the covid apps. They've been a dismal failure.

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#2687627 7-Apr-2021 07:15

gmball:

The covid scanning app was another stupid idea. If we had followed suit with other countries far more experienced than us, we would have introduced the covid card. Basically just carry it and it does the work for us without any need to scan. We could have then just issued one to every arriving person, and perhaps collect them on departure for re-allocation?

Did you read the reports into the card trials? They pretty much were a dismal failure. The problem is that there are soooo many situations where Bluetooth based contact tracing doesn't work, and now that we know surface spread is basically a non event and that airborne droplet based spread is responsible for most spread this becomes more relevant.

If you use the classic situation of being in a lift just after somebody who had Covid and dispersed droplets into the air got out of the floor below it's one where Bluetooth tracing simply does not work.

The great thing about going for the app based approach is that it makes it easy for Australians coming here to install a single app and have QR and Bluetooth tracing. I'd hate to image the dramas of giving out Covid cards to people at the airport and then collecting them all back a few days or a week later when people leave.

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#2687631 7-Apr-2021 07:39

Didn’t take long for this thread to morph into a COVID thread. We have a lengthy one of those already.

“We’ve arranged a society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science technology. Carl Sagan 1996

Geektastic

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#2687634 7-Apr-2021 07:44

sbiddle:
Geektastic:

Why would it take a year to vaccinate the majority? NZ has a pretty small population.

Our vaccine rollout is a 12 month program. Even the PM has said that numerous times.

Initial vaccines in Feb 2021, with everybody who wants to be vaccinated being able to get at least their 1st dose by the end of the year, and then mopping up the remaining 2nd doses and vaccine hesitant people into early 2022.

What is concerning is that we're supposed to have vaccinated 2 million people by the end of June according to the MoH but are going pretty slowly so far with only around 66,000 vaccinations given as of late last week.

If you look at official MoH data they say 300,000 vaccinated before the end of April and 1.7 million people vaccinated from May to end of June. Now if you're to assume that not all those 2 million will get their 2nd dose before the end of June (influenza vaccines starting next week clash with most high risk people and you can't have this within 14 days) we could take some guesses at around 3 million vaccinations in total across May and June. That's going to mean somehow ramping up to 50,000 vaccinations every single day across those two months.

We're then planning on it taking from July to December to vaccinate the other 2 million people, remembering that currently nobody under 16 will receive the vaccine as it's not approved.

I think we need to get our collective head out of wherever we have collectively stuck it and get the @&$) on with the vaccines.

Sideface

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#2687646 7-Apr-2021 08:25

Now showing on Australian TV ...

Sideface

Dingbatt

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#2687655 7-Apr-2021 08:49

Awesome @Sideface ! If they can get Laura Bingle to do the voice over, even greater cut-through.

I will be interested to see how our international airports are configured to keep arrivals separated. Sydney has completely separate wings of the international terminal with their own customs and arrival areas. One designated green and one red. Melbourne has erected a floor to ceiling Perspex shield running right through the international terminal to separate green from red. Not sure about Brisbane.

Here Christchurch and Auckland will have both red and green flights (as of 19 April). Both have a common customs and baggage claim/ag screening areas which I presume will now be separated to remove the chance of cross contamination between green and red. I would like to see these airports invite the media in for a detailed tour (security requirements allowing) of how they are going to achieve the separation. That would hopefully alleviate some anxiety.

Wellington and Queenstown are far more straight forward as they will be green flights only.

I imagine the initial travel will be for friends/family and business reasons so the problem of being trapped on the wrong side of the Tasman won’t be of a great a concern. For the sake of Queenstown leisure travel may begin in time for the ski season.

“We’ve arranged a society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science technology. Carl Sagan 1996

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kobiak

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#2687663 7-Apr-2021 09:13

noooooooooooooooooo

I hoped to enjoy Queenstown/Wanaka slopes this winter

I guess prices will skyrocket now for the season :(

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freitasm

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#2687680 7-Apr-2021 09:33

I have not seen an answer for an edge case - someone who is not a New Zealand citizen but has a work visa. What if this person goes to Australia? Can they re-enter New Zealand? Will there be controls to ensure only people who currently live in New Zealand and left the country to Australia are coming back?

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#2687700 7-Apr-2021 09:44

Geektastic: I don’t think we should have done any quarantine free travel until vaccination is complete, personally.

It would not have added that long to the wait considering the risk.

There's no way I would put my own personal "peace of mind" being vaccinated above quarantining people from Australia in MIQ for 2 weeks that can't get out early to see their dying relatives or even reunite with family they haven't seen for a whole year. It would feel inhumane and somewhat selfish to do so.

It's still an issue for travellers from further abroad but with Australia being so low risk there truly is no justification for placing them in MIQ and there hasn't been for some time.

chatterbox

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#2687702 7-Apr-2021 09:49

freitasm:

I have not seen an answer for an edge case - someone who is not a New Zealand citizen but has a work visa. What if this person goes to Australia? Can they re-enter New Zealand? Will there be controls to ensure only people who currently live in New Zealand and left the country to Australia are coming back?

If they're entitled to be in NZ, they're entitled to travel in the bubble. Usual visa rules should still apply. You can be a tourist and travel between countries. I'm sure there was an article on a tourist in NZ that travelled to Australia once the one way travel opened.

It's about your origin and destination. It's nothing more complicated than that.

rogercruse

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#2687704 7-Apr-2021 09:56

I presume this also means that '501 deportee flights' will start again...

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#2687728 7-Apr-2021 10:35

Everyone must want out of New Zealand. Called Air New Zealand for a flight change and on hold for some time now. "We are very busy"...

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gehenna

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#2687730 7-Apr-2021 10:41

Can't wait until all these folks fly to Australia. I enjoy the city over Christmas and the like, when everyone is away :)

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#2687744 7-Apr-2021 11:18

I have to say I feel even more irritated with tourism operators in Queenstown. Finding it increasingly difficult to sympathise any more.

Were planning a Ski trip with the kids in August, no sooner than the travel bubble dates arrive than prices for accommodation in QT spiked by 40%.

For years tourism operators gouged NZ'rs wanting to travel within NZ, COVID came, prices didn't drop much but so much complaining, begging for sympathy etc, bubble opens up, prices spike.

Why would I holiday in Australia over NZ? It's cheaper, for a start and I don't get treated like a second class citizen in Australia. Not that I'll be going any time soon.

freitasm

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#2687749 7-Apr-2021 11:30

Got through Air New Zealand after 50 minutes on hold... Busy.

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