Health workers perform COVID-19 tests at a drive-through testing center at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia on Sunday. Sydney was isolated from the rest of Australia on Sunday after all of the country's states and territories imposed travel restrictions on its residents as a coronavirus cluster in the city grew to around 70. Photo: AFP

Australia reopened its "travel bubble" with New Zealand on Sunday after the neighboring country reported no new locally acquired COVID-19 cases, but added new screening measures as it marked its longest infection-free run since the outbreak began.

The decision marks the resumption of the only international arrivals into Australia who do not require 14 days in hotel quarantine.

Australia had paused quarantine exemptions for trans-Tasman arrivals six days earlier after New Zealand reported its first new case in months.

Arrivals from New Zealand "are now judged to be sufficiently low risk, given New Zealand's strong public health response to COVID-19," acting Australian Chief Medical Officer Michael Kidd told reporters.

However, Australia would require screening of travelers from New Zealand before and after flights for the next 10 days, Kidd added, "given there is still a small risk of further associated cases being detected and with an abundance of caution."

The resumption came as Australia marked two weeks without a locally acquired case of the virus, which has infected 29,000 in the country.

Australia, which has closed its borders to all countries but New Zealand since March 2020, is now planning a vaccination program starting late February.

On Sunday, Health Minister Greg Hunt said the government would invite the country's roughly 5,800 community pharmacies this week to apply for a federally funded program to pay them to administer inoculations, along with doctors and hospital health workers.

"That means more points of presence for Australians in terms of where they can receive their COVID-19 vaccine," Hunt said.

Reuters