Tasmania opens ‘travel bubble’ for Australia’s coronavirus-free states

Australia’s southern island state of Tasmania will next month begin accepting tourists from other areas of the country that have seen significant periods with no fresh cases of coronavirus.

The new policy, which begins on August 7, includes stricter testing at airports and a review of travel from other states including New South Wales and Queensland to be completed next month, Tasmania’s state officials said on Friday.

Tasmania has not recorded a case of community transmission in 77 days. It will accept tourists from Western Australia and South Australia states, as well as the Northern Territory – none of which have recorded community transmission in more than 90 days.

Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein said travel won’t resume in the short term from the country’s second most populous state of Victoria, which has been battling a surge in coronavirus cases that has reached over 7,400 as of Friday, Reuters reports.