PM Jacinda Ardern speaks on a Transtasman bubble but is standing firm on the wait for the move to alert level 1 and says she hopes the country can make the shift within four weeks.
As plans to introduce a quarantine-free travel bubble between Australia and New Zealand continue, more surrounding countries are hoping to join in on the discussion.
But Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has shut down the suggestion of a "travel bubble" with any other country at this stage, focusing on getting the trans-Tasman corridor under way first.
"Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and I discuss it [travel bubble] regularly and we are progressing with it well," Morrison said after the National Cabinet meeting in Canberra today.
"Jacinda Ardern and I agree, the net benefits for our countries opening up to each other is a strong one and we have both put ourselves in a position to do it.
"I can't see it with other countries - that is still a way off. But we are looking forward to that day [expanding the bubble] being sooner rather than later."
Morrison's comments come after the Guardian reported Israel was angling to join a travel corridor with Australia by launching flights between Tel-Aviv and Melbourne or Sydney by December, which would waive quarantine requirements.
The direct flights would allow Australian residents to transit to places deemed safe in Europe – such as Greece and Denmark – without having to quarantine for 14 days.
Israel has reported 16,872 coronavirus cases and 284 deaths. Overnight, the Ministry of Health reported 79 new cases in Israel – the highest daily rise since May 2. Israel has 1909 active cases of Covid-19, compared to fewer than 500 cases in Australia.
Speaking to the Guardian, Israel's ambassador to Australia, Mark Sofer, said a corridor between both countries would not only provide airlines with commercially viable routes, but be a "win-win" for the tourism sector.
Chief executive officer of Australia's Tourism and Transport Forum, Margy Osmond, said although the plan wasn't impossible, all focus is on the trans-Tasman bubble.
"I think it would be fair to say we're just pretty focused on the trans-Tasman for the moment," she told 3AW.
"We could be opening to New Zealand – Australia trips sometime in July."
Speculation around a July 1 start date for a travel bubble between Australia and New Zealand has intensified this week after the Tourism Restart Taskforce outlined a "timetable" for when we could start flights between nations.
The May 22 meeting outlined domestic travel being in full swing by the end of next month, and the first flight to Auckland possibly by July.
"From our point of view, July 1 is possible," John Hart, chairman of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Tourism, told news.com.au. "We can be ready by then for New Zealand visitors.
"We want to put that marker down of July 1, so if industry is called on as part of a bubble we will be ready. But this can only happen if health advice can happen and government restrictions can happen. So there's a lot of things to go right for the bubble to happen."
As part of the trans-Tasman bubble, residents would not have to take part in a 14-day quarantine.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern meets the Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Photo / Penny Bradfield
However, Ardern has cautioned New Zealand and Australian residents not to get too excited yet, despite the overwhelming "enthusiasm" to get the bubble going.
"Obviously what we want to do is make sure we've got all that border work in place, that we are ready to go when we have agreement on both sides of the Tasman that it is safe to proceed," she said.
"One of the conversations we've had is that we've perhaps had a little bit more time to see what is happening with our efforts to stamp out Covid with eased restrictions.
"Australia in some cases is just getting into that, so I'd say good work is taking place and it won't be too long before we will be ready," Ardern said.
