New Zealand flights land in Melbourne as Victoria joins travel bubble

Flights from New Zealand return to Melbourne today as Victoria records its 17th consecutive day of zero new coronavirus cases and deaths.

The state joins an existing travel bubble NZ already has with other states put in place by the federal government last month.

The new arrivals from across the ditch will not be required to quarantine and will be allowed to travel freely across the country, adhering to each state's COVID-19 rules.

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Quarantine-free travel is still not permitted for Australians travelling from New Zealand.

The much welcome return to normal for Victoria comes as a coronavirus cluster in South Australia grows to 17 cases.

Premier Daniel Andrews said South Australia would now be declared a hotspot, joining the Northern Territory and Tasmanian governments in the declaration.

New South Wales will keep its borders open to SA.

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Mr Andrews stopped short of imposing a border closure or compulsory quarantine.

He said anyone flying into Victoria from SA would face questioning about their symptoms and movements, and flagged rapid testing was a possibility.

"I know that the Northern Territory and Tasmania have declared SA as a hot spot – we will do the same," he said."It will be a case-by-case process," he said.

"When a person arrives at the airport there will be a sit down with them. Rapid testing may be a feature of that."