SA to ask NZ for reciprocal travel bubble

South Australia is urgently seeking a reciprocal travel bubble agreement with New Zealand arguing it deserves special treatment to allow people to travel across the Tasman.

Premier Steven Marshall has written to NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern seeking a two-way travel deal after 12 Kiwis arrived in SA this week and were forced into quarantine.

The New Zealanders came in under a federal government-negotiated one-way travel bubble with NZ allowing its citizens to enter NSW and the Northern Territory.

But many of those travellers took domestic flights from Sydney to other states not in the bubble, including SA, Western Australia and Queensland.

After ordering them into quarantine, SA relented on Tuesday and released them into the community, bringing the state into the travel bubble and clearing the way for more to follow.

Mr Marshall said SA now wanted to go one step further and secure permission for people to travel from South Australia to New Zealand and for returning New Zealanders not to have to quarantine when they get home.

He said South Australia's excellent performance in combating COVID-19 was deserving of special treatment from Ms Ardern.

"We don't serve any threat to New Zealand whatsoever," Mr Marshall told reporters on Wednesday.

"So I've put that in writing, asking her to reciprocate. I've laid out the case for South Australia having a different arrangement from other parts of the country.

"I hope she looks at that letter, considers the evidence and then moves to an arrangement."

Federal Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham was also on board, hoping New Zealand would agree to a deal.

"This would be an enticing opportunity for Kiwis to holiday, reunite and boost the economy in SA," he said.

SA Police Commissioner Grant Stevens on Tuesday said that after discussions between SA and NZ health officials, local authorities had a level of comfort about the risk posed by those coming to SA.

He also announced other changes to coronavirus restrictions, including those on communities close to the Victorian border.

People within the 70km buffer zone each side of the border will no longer be required to provide a legitimate reason for crossing the state line, allowing them to move about more freely.

But SA is still struggling with the notion of separate restrictions on people coming from other regional areas of Victoria and on people from Melbourne.

"We'd like to be able to accommodate regional Victoria but there are risks associated with that," Mr Stevens said.

However, people will be able to permanently relocate from Victoria to SA more easily, with no longer any requirement to seek a special health exemption.

They will only be asked to provide details of employment and permanent accommodation and will be required to quarantine for two weeks.

Similarly, high school and university students will be allowed to return to SA from Victoria at the end of the current terms.

SA reported one new virus infection on Wednesday, in a man in his 30s who recently returned from overseas and tested positive in hotel quarantine.

There are eight active infections, all overseas travellers in isolation.