Editorial: Red light in Melbourne was to be expected

Acting Premier James Merlino announced the seven-day 'circuit breaker' in Melbourne, Australia. Photo / Robert Cianflone, Getty Images

EDITORIAL

Melbourne's week-long "circuit breaker" lockdown is a heart-breaker for many who had planned their long-awaited jaunt across the bubble.

As the Victorians hunker on through to the midway point in what is a fourth period of heavy restrictions since this pandemic hit, one can certainly empathise. There, but for the grace of Godzone, would we be.

However, this is the scenario the bubble was devised for. It is the reason the transtasman quarantine-free arrangement took so long to initiate. Remember the impatient cries from politicians, opinion writers and businesses to open the border and let travellers loose?

The two-way quarantine-free travel allows airlines and airports to operate "quarantine-free" also known as "green" flights between New Zealand and approved safe travel zone destinations without quarantine on arrival.

Just as we have alert level settings for managing community cases, the framework for managing travel in the event of an Australian outbreak involves three scenarios: continue, pause, suspend - designated by the colours green, orange and red.

On Tuesday, Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins threw the light to orange by announcing a pause on New Zealand's travel bubble with Victoria effective from 7.59pm NZ time.

Acting Victoria Premier James Merlino threw the switch on the red light on Thursday when he said the state would go into lockdown from midnight until 11.59pm on June 3.

Travel will resume once the chain of the outbreak in Victoria has been broken, hopefully as soon as this coming Friday.

It was inevitable that the virus would emerge, just as it has bloomed time and again in various parts of Australia, but particularly cosmopolitan Melbourne.

Despite the disruption for those who planned to travel, we should be grateful the bubble has been set up for this situation, whether it took three days to occur or, as in this case, 39 days.

Just as some are disappointed, many people will be grateful for the opportunity to see family and friends while the bubble was green for those 39 days.

For now, New Zealand continues to withstand the viral scourge and continue also to be grateful witnesses to the horrid measures necessary in Melbourne and the tragic scenes still currently playing out in India and Nepal.