Travel between WA and New Zealand has been suspended while New Zealand health officials complete a risk assessment.

A flight due to leave Perth for New Zealand tonight will not take off.

It’s been determined that no-one on the plane that flew an infected man from Perth to Melbourne travelled on to New Zealand.

Meanwhile, people arriving in Sydney from WA from tonight must complete a declaration confirming that they have not attended a venue visited by a confirmed case.

Comment from New Zealand’s Health Minister Chris Hipkins:

As set out in our Trans-Tasman bubble protocols, travel between New Zealand and Western Australia has been paused, pending further advice from the state government.

New Zealand health officials are in contact with their Australian counterparts and are completing a risk assessment.

A flight due to leave Perth for New Zealand later tonight will not take off following Western Australia’s decision, and any New Zealanders affected are asked to follow the advice of Western Australian authorities.

All passengers on an earlier flight from Perth to Melbourne that carried a passenger later found to have COVID-19 have been contact traced and no-one on that flight has travelled on to New Zealand.

This is an example of the type of scenario both countries have planned for.