Kiwis travelling to Australia warned they'll need to comply with Covid-19 contact tracing protocols

That’s the message from state governments and businesses who’re taking contact tracing very seriously.

Australia's authorities are warning New Zealanders looking for a trans-Tasman getaway, that they'll need to comply with contact tracing methods as soon as they touch down.

1 NEWS spoke with Victor Dominello, the New South Wales Minister behind the state's contact tracing app, who said having it was "non-negotiable"

"As soon as you come into New South Wales in particular, we'll be saying have you downloaded your app?"

Many businesses in Australia offer manual sign in options, however bars and restaurants are strict, often refusing to seat customers until they've shown they've checked in.

"Quite frankly, if you haven't, it's going to be very boring when you're here," said Dominello.

"You won't be going to pubs, clubs, restaurants, it'll be a pretty sombre experience."

Each Australian state operates separately, with its own local contact tracing app.

Auckland University's Dr Andrew Chen has had interactions with New Zealand's Health Ministry, and says that while that could be confusing, it'd be too complex to use one contact tracing system.

"It's got to the point where those design choices are too different to merge them into one app now," he said.

With the bubble due to open at 11.59pm on the 18th of April, New Zealand's Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins is also saying inbound travellers will be expected to comply with domestic contact tracing methods.

He said he's working closely with the Australian Federal Government.

"We have worked closely with them to make sure we get good contact tracing information in the event that either of us need to do contact tracing."


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