Coronavirus: travel bubble snag in Australia; daily cases hit record high in Malaysia

Seventeen travellers who arrived in Sydney from New Zealand then flew on to Melbourne, which is not part of the Covid-19 travel bubble

Elsewhere, Singapore has less than 100 active cases, Thailand reported two new local cases, and Malaysia saw a record increase

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Passengers arrive in Sydney from New Zealand on Friday after the trans-Tasman travel bubble was opened. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 2:05pm, 17 Oct 2020Updated: 8:54pm, 17 Oct 2020

The fledgling travel bubble between Australia and New Zealand hit an early snag after 17 passengers who flew into Sydney on Friday caught a connecting flight to Melbourne in an apparent breach of the rules.

In an effort to boost tourism, Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s government is encouraging visitors from New Zealand, which has crushed community transmission of Covid-19, allowing them to enter the country without having to undergo hotel quarantine for 14 days. But the quarantine-free travel corridor only covers New South Wales state, which is home to Sydney, and the Northern Territory. The 17 passengers flew on to Melbourne within minutes of arriving in Sydney, and Victoria state Premier Daniel Andrews was not happy.

“We are not part of this bubble,” Andrews told reporters on Saturday. “I have written to the prime minister this morning and we’re disappointed this has happened.” Authorities want to trace the passengers so they can be informed of local lockdown rules, he said.

Morrison’s Acting Immigration Minister Alan Tudge said it had been widely understood that anyone arriving in Sydney from New Zealand would be free to travel on to other states such as Victoria that had not closed their border to New South Wales.

The limited travel corridor falls far short of the bubble initially envisaged by Morrison. New Zealand isn’t yet reciprocating, and says anyone returning from a trip to Australia must quarantine for 14 days on their return. Indeed, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has urged New Zealanders to holiday at home instead.

Australia’s Victoria reports just one new case

Australia’s coronavirus hotspot of Victoria recorded a single case of the disease on Saturday – the lowest daily number since early June – and no deaths, with the state’s top health official saying the figures were “one-der-ful”.