Fresh Covid case puts New Zealand-Australia travel bubble at risk
Passengers arrive from New Zealand, at Sydney Airport in Sydney, Australia
NewZealand's fledgeling quarantine-freetravelarrangement with Western Australia faced disruption for the second time in eight days Saturday followingfreshcommunity cases ofCovid-19 in Perth.
A worker at a managed isolation facility in the city and two people he shares accommodation with have tested positive, authorities said.
Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan said the state would not go into lockdown "at this point".
ButNewZealand health ministry officials said they had conducted a "rapid" assessment and had "determined scheduled direct flights from Western Australia toNewZealand should be immediately paused while a further assessment is carried out."
A flight scheduled to arrive in Auckland from Perth at 5:50 am Sunday (1750 GMT Saturday) has been cancelled, buttravelto other Australian states and territories is not affected.
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
National Handloom Day 2026: From Alia Bhatt to Samantha Ruth Prabhu; Actresses who celebrated India's textile heritage as brides
)
The Royals enter the Doctor Who universe: King Charles and Queen Camilla beam into Commonwealth Games in TARDIS
)
Unitree Robotics targets $9 billion valuation in landmark IPO backed by DeepSeek and Tencent
)
India names 27 sites in Arunachal Pradesh
)
Bharat Bhhagya Viddhaata OTT: When will Kangana Ranaut's film stream online?
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
How many soldiers operate one S-400 battery?
)
Shakib Al Hasan ready to return to Bangladesh—under one condition
)
‘Fake news’: MEA rejects report claiming India sought defence pact with Israel after Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey deal
)
Rockstar to unveil GTA 6 extended look ahead of November launch
)
Russia forms Ukrainian Volunteer Spetsnaz Brigade to fight Ukraine
)
Drug-resistant fungus that hides in hair and enters bloodstream reported in 23 US states
)
Technology transfer deal boosts India's defence manufacturing ambitions
)
Border row erupts in Europe after Ceuta crossings, Spain imposes border controls on Italy
)
Morale plummets on USS Abraham Lincoln: Are US sailors reaching a breaking point? | GRAVITAS
)
'Security can't be bought with Pakistan, Turkey deal': Iran tells Saudi Arabia
)
Baba Vanga's 2026 prophecy: 2 predictions 'already came true', 3 terrifying ones remain. Details inside
)
Colombia’s new president Abelardo de la Espriella vows to ‘defeat narco-terrorists’, signals hardline shift
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
New Friday OTT releases (August 7, 2026): Operation Safed Sagar, Vadhandhi, Main Vaapis Aaunga- 6 movies and TV shows on Netflix, Prime Video and more
)
Squadron Leader Bhawana Kanth scripts history as Indian Air Force gets its first woman ‘Top Gun’ pilot
)
RSS says Gen Z protests reflect genuine distress
)
Trump says Iranian school bombing photos could be AI-generated - 'I don’t think...'
)
IAF officer held for sharing sensitive information in 'honey trap' case, booked under Official Secrets Act
)
Stray Kids under scrutiny? Fans react to Grammy submission silence after BTS boycott
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why the Su-30MKI doesn't need external fuel tanks to fly vast distances
)
Jugal Hansraj reunites with Shekhar Kapur after 40 years for Masoom: The Next Generation
)
New speed limits, automatic challans: Big traffic change coming to Delhi-Meerut Expressway. All you need to know
)
India officially names 27 places in Arunachal to counter China's renaming claims
)
Trump calls White House ballroom ruling a 'national disgrace' as court says Congress approval needed
)
US sanctions Iran’s crypto network after Strait of Hormuz attacks, offers $15m bounty for intel on IRGC finance
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why the Su-30MKI is one of the heaviest fighters ever built
)
Uttarakhand young innovator builds India's own flying vehicle, conducts first test flight: WATCH
)
Chilling video shows students take cover as teen opens fire at Thai school
)
Reese Witherspoon's father hospitalised after poolside incident in Nashville: Report
It is the second such disruption since the two countries opened their quarantine-freetravelbubbleon April 18, almost 400 days after both closed their international borders due to the pandemic.
Flights betweenNewZealand and Western Australia were suspended less than a week later, when the Perth and Peel regions were sent into a three-day lockdown after recording acaseof community transmission on April 23.
Thebubble, which followed months of negotiations between the largely coronavirus-free neighbours, was hailed as a major milestone in restarting a globaltravelindustry that has been crippled by theCovid-19 pandemic.
NewZealand'stourismindustry was its biggest export industry beforeCovid-19, with Australians accounting for about 40 per cent of the international visitors.