Tag Archives: Explorer

New Zealand

Queensland abolished New Zealand as a ‘safe travel country’, travelers now have to go into quarantine | Instant News


Queensland has removed New Zealand as a “safe travel country”, Queensland Health announced.

Travelers from New Zealand arriving in Queensland starting at 6pm local time today must complete quarantine after the state removed New Zealand’s “country of safe travel” status.

Queensland Health said the move came after the Main Committee on Health Protection of Australia (AHPPC) was notified that the level of risk in New Zealand had increased.

“Unfortunately, over the last few days, New Zealand has recorded several new positive cases, which is why we closed the border starting at 6pm,” said Dr. Jeannette Young.

“Anyone permitted to travel to Queensland from New Zealand will be asked to quarantine on arrival.

“Acting with extreme care has kept Queenslanders safe and that is the path we will continue to take.

“Things can change very quickly with this virus – we have seen it in other countries around the world, which is why I am asking Queenslanders to reconsider their need to travel to New Zealand.”

Queensland Health also recommends all travelers who have been in New Zealand since February 21 to go ahead, undergo testing and self-isolate until their results return.

The announcement came following the case of the Covid-19 community yesterday which was related to the Papatoetoe cluster.

Young said New Zealand was still at a “critical stage” in responding to the latest outbreak.

“New Zealand is working very hard to contain this community transmission, but they are still in a critical stage of their response so we need to keep an eye on it,” he said.

“Things can change very quickly with this virus – we have seen it in other countries around the world, which is why I am asking Queenslanders to reconsider their need to travel to New Zealand.”

Queensland was quick to announce the changes even though there were no new community cases in New Zealand on Wednesday.

Health director general Dr Ashley Bloomfield said today was “business as usual” with no community case and no evidence would lead him to advise the Cabinet to raise its alert level.

Bloomfield said yesterday’s news of new cases was “unsettling” but the Government’s contact tracing system was working well.

There are 11 community cases in New Zealand now – all in Jet Park MIQ and all sharing “very close” genome sequencing.

There were more than 600 people tested at Papatoetoe High School yesterday.

Queensland’s tough stance was different from NSW after Prime Minister Gladys Berejiklian asked Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to “return the favor” and open a transtasman bubble with Australia.

In a press conference yesterday, Berejiklian said the Kiwi must now “return the favor” to Australians after Scott Morrison again allowed New Zealanders to enter Australia without quarantine.

He said they had been welcoming New Zealanders for some time and it was time Ardern and his Government “pulled their load” in creating a two-way transtasman bubble.

“I always hope Prime Minister Ardern returns the favor to NSW because we have definitely accepted New Zealanders since October / November last year,” Berejiklian told the media.

He has since pressured the New Zealand Government to move, saying there was no reason why a bubble couldn’t exist now.

“I’ve always been strong and confident about our ability to have a transtasy bubble. I hope it happens sooner rather than later. There’s no reason why not,” said Berejiklian.

New Zealand is considered a “green zone”, except in Queensland, which allows Kiwis to travel to Australia freely, while the rest of the world is in the “red zone”.

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uk

Joint Statement by Foreign Ministers of France, Germany, Italy, Britain and the United States – Rocket attack in Erbil (16 February 2021) | Instant News


We, the foreign ministers of France, Germany, Italy, Great Britain and the United States strongly condemn the February 15 rocket attack on Iraq’s Kurdistan Region. We extend our condolences to the victims, their families and the Iraqi people. Together, our governments will support the Government of Iraq’s investigation into the attacks with a view to holding those responsible to account. We are united in our view that attacks on the US and Coalition personnel and facilities will not be tolerated.

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New Zealand

Covid 19 coronavirus: Experts are calling for stricter checks on travelers after hundreds of people arrived in NZ and left for Australia | Instant News


Professor Shaun Hendy: “We need to be better at following up with travelers and understanding where they are going.” Photo / Greg Bowker

One expert called for stricter checks on travelers leaving New Zealand as soon as arriving here after receiving news that hundreds of new arrivals had departed for Australia.

NZ statistics have confirmed that the 549 people who arrived in New Zealand on or after October 1 left for Australia in October or November.

Most of them (492) are residents of New Zealand, and many are believed to be flight crew and business people who still travel regularly despite the Covid ban.

But Professor Shaun Hendy of the University of Auckland, who has become an example of the risks of international travel during the Covid-19 pandemic, said the figures show the need to track down all those who leave quarantine in case of another outbreak in the community.

“We need to be better at following up with travelers and understanding where they are going,” he said.

“If we ever consider a situation where we ask for a follow-up [in a community outbreak], then we want to be able to ask people to come for the test and for further interaction with the border system, so it’s important to know whether they remain in New Zealand or not. “

The latest figures come after Australian authorities said that 12 people had been quarantined at Auckland’s Pullman Hotel at the same time as people who contracted Covid there last month. traveling to Sydney.

Three of them traveled from Sydney to Hong Kong, two went to Queensland and seven others lived in New South Wales.

NZ statistics say the 549 people who arrived in New Zealand after October 1 left in October or November – 39 in October and 510 in November, the latest figures available.

Australia allows New Zealanders to traveling without quarantine to New South Wales and the Northern Territory from 16 October, to South Australia from 20 October, to Victoria from 9 November and to Queensland from 12 December.

New Zealanders traveling to Western Australia still have to quarantine for 14 days.

The 549 people who arrived in New Zealand after October 1 and traveled to Australia before the end of November represented 2 percent of the 24,133 people who arrived in New Zealand in those two months, and a similar proportion of the 27,106 who left New Zealand. country in those months.

Nearly all (492) of the 549 people were New Zealand residents, with only 57 residents of other countries entering New Zealand after 1 October and leaving on 30 November.

New Zealand Statistics population indicators manager Tehseen Islam said the 549 arrivals who traveled to Australia included flight crew, who had to undergo Covid tests every seven days but do not have to be quarantined for 14 days.

Covid Response Minister Chris Hipkins said he had asked officials “to consider the entire process and to explore whether the system could be modified so that those who depart quickly for Australia can and should pay a premium to stay in MIQ”.

“I don’t see any evidence of specific motivation why people travel to Australia within months of landing in New Zealand,” he said.

“There may be various reasons, and travelers can include any number of New Zealand nationals.

“We need to strike the right balance in recognizing people’s rights to freedom of movement by fairly managing the MIQ’s limited resources and the Kiwi’s right to return.”

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Australia

Covid 19 coronavirus: Tourists will not be allowed into Australia without a vaccination certificate, signals the minister | Instant News


Travel

2 minutes to read

Ground staff with PPE welcoming passengers disembarking from their flights at Sydney Airport on 10 October 2020. Photo / Provided

Vaccination certificates “very likely” will be required for international travel, the Federal Minister for Australian Government Services said today.

“There are still a number of decisions to be made by the government, it is very likely that a certificate will be required for international visitors to Australia and we will continue to work with our international partners on our framework for vaccination certificates,” said Stuart Robert.

“Australians can have the assurance that the certificate they are going to have will be strong, it will stick with them, so they will know it is their certificate, and it will be widely accepted.”

He did not confirm, however, whether it would lead to faster opening of international borders, saying he would leave “any comments” to Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

“But any requirement to open borders will require vaccination and that will require widespread use of certificates and that is what we are talking about today,” added Robert.

“Australians can be very confident that their digital or paper-based certificates will be strong.”

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Italy

Statement by foreign ministries of France, Germany, Italy, Great Britain and the United States (05 February 2021) | Instant News


LIBYA

5 February 2021

The governments of France, Germany, Italy, Great Britain and the United States welcomed the agreement reached by the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum on Libya’s interim executive authority tasked with leading the country to national elections on December 24, 2021.

This critical step towards achieving an inclusive, negotiated political solution is the result of a process that is truly Libya-led and owned, United Nations mediation, and the support of the Libyan people. In this regard, we laud the outstanding commitment of the United Nations Mission of Support in Libya and Acting Special Representative of Secretary General Stephanie Williams. We look forward to fully supporting the work of Special Envoy Ján Kubiš.

We call on all current Libyan authorities and actors to ensure the smooth and constructive handover of all competencies and duties to the new unified executive authority.

Since the Berlin Conference, Libya has made significant progress towards securing lasting peace and stability, including through the reopening of the energy sector, the 23 October 2020 national ceasefire agreement, the roadmap for holding national elections in December 2021, and now the election of a unified interim executive authority. .

The long road still lies ahead. The unified executive authority must enforce the ceasefire agreement, provide essential public services to the Libyan people, initiate a meaningful reconciliation program, address critical national budgetary needs, and organize national elections. The new interim government, to be proposed by the appointed Prime Minister, must be truly inclusive, allowing all Libyans to be represented, including with regard to gender, ethnicity and regional origin.

We call on the delegates of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum to retain their important functions, ensuring the focus of a new unified executive authority in preparing for and holding the elections decided by the Forum.

At the Berlin Conference on Libya last year, the international community committed to supporting the resolution of the Libyan conflict. In the spirit of that commitment, all Conference participants must now support the new executive authority in fulfilling its duties to the Libyan people, implement a full arms embargo, and support the immediate withdrawal of all foreign fighters and mercenaries.

We are ready to hold accountable those who threaten stability or undermine the political process in Libya.

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