Australia and New Zealand to open travel bubble

A woman and two children walk under the Harbour Bridge in a popular area in Sydney, Australia (Rick Rycroft/AP)

New Zealand has announced it will open a long-anticipated travel bubble with Australia on April 19 now that both countries have been successful in stamping out the spread of coronavirus.

The start of quarantine-free travel between the neighbouring nations will come as a relief to families who have been separated by the pandemic as well as to struggling tourist operators.