The New Zealand (NZ) government has announced that it will push back its quarantine free travel bubble with Australia until the end of February. The bubble was scheduled to open on Jan. 17, with the NZ government planning to allow fully vaccinated citizens and residents to arrive from Australia without going through quarantine. “All of the evidence so far points to Omicron being the most transmissible COVID-19 variant yet,” NZ’s COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said at a press conference in the country’s capital, Wellington. “There’s no doubt this is disappointing and will upset many holiday plans, but it’s important to set these changes out clearly today, so they can have time to consider those plans.” Hipkins said the delay was a precautionary measure as the data around Omicron had not yet provided clarity on how the new COVID-19 variant would affect individuals and the health system. He noted the …