N.Z. Will Lift New South Wales Travel Pause at Midnight Sunday

(Bloomberg) --

New Zealand will lift a travel pause with the Australian state of New South Wales at midnight Sunday after officials determined that community cases of Covid-19 in Sydney pose a low risk to public health.

“The Ministry of Health is advising airlines that flights can resume from 11:59 p.m. tomorrow subject to there being no further significant developments,” Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said in an emailed statement.

New Zealand began operating a free travel zone with Australia last month, allowing travelers from its near neighbor to avoid mandatory 14-day quarantine provided they haven’t been in any other country for at least 14 days. The government suspended travel from New South Wales on May 6 after two community cases were identified. Since then state officials haven’t detected any more community cases.

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