Australia-New Zealand Travel Bubble Opens on April 18

(CNN) - New Zealand will allow Australians to travel to the country quarantine-free, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said in a press conference Tuesday, April 6.

The travel bubble is set to begin on Sunday, April 18 at 11:59 pm, Ardern added. Australia has allowed New Zealand travelers to enter without quarantine, and New Zealand is now following suit.

"This is an important step forward in our Covid response and represents an arrangement I do not believe we have seen in any other part of the world. That is, safely opening up international travel to another country while continuing to pursue a strategy of elimination and a commitment to keeping the virus out," Ardern said during the event.

Under the new rules, travelers won't be allowed to travel if they had a positive Covid-19 test in the previous 14 days or present flu-like symptoms. The prime minister also said travel "will not be what it was pre-covid", explaining flights could be suspended again in a case of a new outbreak or travelers might be asked to take a PCR test or quarantine upon arrival, depending on the nature and origin of the infections.

Ardern also said travelers coming from Australia will board "green zone" flights.

"That means there will be no passengers on that flight who have come from anywhere but Australia in the last 14 days," Ardern said, adding the crews operating the connection "have not flown on any high-risk routes for a set period of time."