In October, for the first time in months, Australia welcomed foreign travellers after the creation of a unilateral quarantine bubble with New Zealand. In May, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern agreed to develop a trans-Tasman travel bubble. However, after the increase in the number of cases in Melbourne and the imposition of a state of disaster in Victoria, Ardern said that the proposed corridor would be in the spotlight for several months. Theoretically, the reopening of the EU – which has allowed controlled travel within the Schengen area and the UK – could be described as a travel bubble, while the EU and Britain have not. In this agreement, nations were allowed to set their own restrictions and pace from July, but the increase in coronavirus cases did not restrict free travel until a short time later: England, for example, recalled, two weeks after its entry to Spain, the conditions of travel without quarantine with Spain. Many EU Member States have introduced new restrictions on coronavirus outbreaks and since October many nations have reintroduced closures or travel restrictions, with the need to quarantine and carry out tests. (Since then, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have restored their own bubbles. Australia`s national airline Qantas said last Friday that it would prioritise resuming flights to Asia in the hope that travel bubbles could soon set in. According to the Wall Street Journal, U.S. officials want to open the trip between New York and London with reduced quarantine periods for travelers from the start of the holiday. While important details remain to be finalized, the growing availability of COVID 19 test centers in the country has prompted authorities to consider establishing secure travel corridors between the United States and international destinations. Officials from both countries reportedly discussed a rule change; They want to allow travel between London and NYC without a phase of isolation.
Source: Dailymail.co.uk In October, Australia and New Zealand were the first countries in the Asia-Pacific region to implement a bubble, with New Zealanders allowed to travel to New South Wales and the Northern Territory. In practice, this provision is only a “half bubble” – Australian tourists cannot enter New Zealand, while New Zealanders must be quarantined upon their return to their country of origin. The Covid-19 epidemics in both Community countries prevented the bubble, but Morrison seems much more attached to the concept than Ardern, who used vague language and refused to commit to a delay. The increase in cases and the number of virus cases in India, Indonesia and the Philippines will make it more difficult to establish the level of bilateral confidence necessary for the success of a travel bubble. Less dependence on travel and tourism to stimulate economic activity in India and Indonesia also reduces the political will to start and carry them out (see chart). Since March, Australia`s borders have been closed to all, with the exception of the return of Australian citizens and residents and those with special authorization. Singapore and the Hong Kong Agreement in Principle would require travellers between cities to test the Covid-19 negatively with a jointly agreed polymeraity chain reaction test (PCR). On Wednesday evening, spotless contractors working at the Novotel in South Wharf were removed in the middle of shift work and replaced by police and Victoria government officers. In order to strengthen passenger confidence and revive the cross-border movement, travel bubbles are being tested in the region.