A conference call of Australia’s cabinet last week had an unusual participant: the prime minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern. She was invited to join the virtual meeting — the first New Zealand premier to do so since the second world war — to discuss the idea of a “ trans-Tasman travel bubble” to enable travel and trade to resume between the two nations. There are particular reasons why such an arrangement makes sense for neighbours who share enviable records in controlling coronavirus. But the model might be applied elsewhere to speed the recovery of economic activity.
澳洲內閣上週的電話會議有一個不同尋常的參與者：紐西蘭總理傑辛達•阿德恩(Jacinda Ardern，見文首照片)。她受邀參加這場虛擬會議——這是二戰以來首位參加澳洲內閣會議的紐西蘭總理——討論「跨塔斯曼海峽旅行泡泡」(trans-Tasman travel bubble)的想法，以使兩國之間的旅行和貿易得以恢復。澳洲和紐西蘭在控制新型冠狀病毒方面都做出了令人羨慕的成績，對於這兩個鄰國來說，這種安排的合理是尤其有理由的。但這一模式可能會應用於其他地方，以加速經濟活動的復甦。