Niue residents don’t want to rush into a travel bubble with New Zealand just yet.

As Niue’s leaders take in the accolades of the island reaching herd immunity with 97 percent vaccination rate, most local residents are still very cautious about opening up of the borders.

Last week NZ media posted that the Niue/NZ travel bubble is the next exciting destination for the NZ tourists but local residents are still very cautious about opening up borders too soon.

Many told BCN news that Niue should wait until at least twelve weeks before opening the borders. Everyone that BCN asked said that everyone traveling into Niue should be fully vaccinated. On social media local residents are saying that anyone traveling to Niue should be vaccinated.

The government last week in a press release confirmed that once the borders open to a two-way QFT with New Zealand, all travellers into the island must be vaccinated, however until then, passengers may travel to Niue even if they are not vaccinated.

This release caused concern with frontline staff about the decision to allow unvaccinated people into the country over the next few months especially with the growing threat of the very dangerous and highly infections Delta variant of covid-19.

Some of the frontline staff told BCN news last week that they are exhausted after several weeks of vaccination roll-out.

To put into perspective there are only a few people holding multiple roles, such as the health department staff who are doing the health check rounds at the MIQ and home isolation facilities. These are the same staff who also have to be in on the zoom sessions with their counterparts in New Zealand working on the preparations for the two- way quarantine free travel with New Zealand.

The number of travellers to Niue are still limited to 40 every two weeks and only allow returning residents, essential workers and Niueans living in NZ visiting families in Niue.

BCN News understands that the government is working on the travel bubble with NZ but has not set a date year. They have yet to make any firm decisions on when the 12 to 15-year-olds will be vaccinated.