Covid-19 travel restriction changes
While in Queensland, we were puzzled that the restrictions surrounding our return to New Zealand were the same as that from New South Wales which was suffering badly from Covid-19. In contrast Queensland was having no or just one case a day.
I had been expecting the New Zealand government to relax the Queensland conditions to reflect the difference. But instead, last night I learnt that they changed the conditions for return from New South Wales.
People returning from there wouldn’t need to be tested 72h before flying. Instead, they will go into hotel quarantine for 14 days without cost.
I guess it’s a reflection of the deteriorating situation there and the New Zealand government want to keep its people safe.
Big Oooops!
With the 0300 start yesterday in Cairns, we slipped into New Zealand time easily. When I woke, I took a look on the internet. Sure enough the Air New Zealand flight from Auckland to Cairns had been cancelled as expected. But they flew the aircraft over empty to operate back the flight we had booked on. While I had considered the possibility of this, it seemed unlikely from their previous actions.
To add insult to injury, there were spare seats on the flight despite multiple earlier cancellations in the previous week. We had expected that there would be a backlog that would prevent us standby passengers from getting on.
But we were happy to be home. The money paid didn’t bother us. It eliminated the stress of not knowing, the possibility being stuck for longer, and the possibility of getting another Covid-19 test.