Australia-New Zealand emotionally REUNITED!!

First flight to Auckland takes off from Sydney after a gap of one year. It’s all emotional journeys among all passengers in the flight and for people who wait to receive in Auckland airport as well. Two island nations open bubble travel after one year. 

When European nations closed their borders amid the coronavirus rampage, Australia and New Zealand were open borders. Hundreds of passengers have been making an emotional journey to New Zealand since Monday. Both governments are agreeing to open quarantine free travel between two nations.

 

Families are being reunited and babies met by grandparents for the first time as Australia reconnects with New Zealand in the international COVID-19 travel bubble. New Zealand was the first pandemic free nation in 2020. Over the past year, New Zealand has been celebrated for its handling of the Covid-19 pandemic but Australia is not. Elation and relief marked the opening of a long-anticipated travel bubble between Australia and New Zealand at the Wellington Airport. Children held balloons and banners and Indigenous Maori performers welcomed the arrivals home with songs.

 

Australia was New Zealand’s largest source of international tourists before the pandemic, accounting for about 1.5 million arrivals or 40 percent of total visitors in 2019. Tourism is the highest revenue sector for two nations. Both nations suffered economically with a coronavirus pandemic after closing the borders and stopping the flights. Other international arrivals into both countries must go through two-week hotel quarantine at their own expense. Australia has recorded just more than 29,500 virus cases and 910 deaths since the pandemic began, while New Zealand has had about 2,200 confirmed cases and 26 deaths.