COVID-19: New Zealand to open second travel bubble

Wellington: New Zealand will open a second travel bubble this month with the tiny Cook Islands, after last month opening a travel bubble with Australia.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said if all goes well, two-way quarantine-free travel with the Cook Islands will begin on May 17.

The Cook Islands has a population of just 8,000 and relies on New Zealand tourists to power its economy.

New Zealand has stamped out the spread of the coronavirus, while the Cook Islands has yet to record a single case.

Ardern said New Zealand would supply and help administer doses of the Pfizer vaccine to people in the Cook Islands.

Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown said the country could begin its journey of recovery as it prepared to once again welcome tourists to its shores.