Victoria has joined New South Wales on a do not fly list from the New Zealand government.
The growing Melbourne outbreak has prompted New Zealand to close the trans-Tasman bubble to Victoria for four days.
On Thursday afternoon, New Zealand COVID-19 Minister Chris Hipkins announced a suspension of quarantine-free travel from Friday.
“We acknowledge the frustration and inconvenience that comes with any interruption to trans-Tasman travel, but given the ongoing level of uncertainty around transmission in Melbourne, this is the right action to take,” he said.
The decision also bars anyone from travelling to New Zealand if they have been in Victoria from Friday.
On Wednesday, after noting growing case numbers, Mr Hipkins warned Kiwis to head home immediately if they wanted to avoid being stranded in Victoria.
Jacinda Ardern’s government will review the Victorian pause on Monday.
The trans-Tasman bubble remains operational to Queensland, WA, SA, Tasmania, ACT and NT.
Australian travellers from NSW have been banned from travelling to New Zealand during the current NSW outbreak, but the NZ government has allowed Kiwis to return home if they are willing to spend a fortnight in quarantine.
AAP
