It is fascinating to observe how different countries are approaching the reopening and lifting of travel restrictions. This brings us to Australia
Queensland Premier wonders why people travel
Australia has been one of the most conservative countries in managing the coronavirus pandemic. It keeps its borders closed and severely restricts travel within the country. It is up for debate where Australia should go next.
With an average daily coronavirus case count of more than 1,600 per day, the country has seen the largest spike in coronavirus cases ever since the outbreak.
The country is making progress in vaccination
Each state of Australia has its own rules. There are also border restrictions between states due to coronavirus being under control in certain states but not in others.
Some leaders call for Australia to be largely closed down once it reaches 80% vaccination rates. Others are calling for Australia's reopening well before then.
Recent talk has been about Australians being allowed out of the country by Christmas. This was based on progress in vaccinations.
Annastacia Palaszczuk is the premier of Queensland. A reporter asked her if she supported the federal government's assurances that Australians would be able travel by Christmas. Her response is very interesting:
Which country are you planning to visit? Is India your destination? You must sit in Tokyo on perspex screens. If you take off your mask, it is impossible to talk while you eat. Yes, there are people who travel in Europe. The federal government should clearly identify which countries Australians are allowed to travel to.
Fair enough, she'd know the culture because she was there during the Olympics. For the full effect, you can see the video below.
Print copy doesnt quite capture her delivery pic.twitter.com/nrYouE2WFE Jacob Gillard (@gillardjacob) September 24, 2021
The problems with Palaszczuks' perspective
I don't have much skin in this game (I don't have any family in Australia and didn't plan on going there soon anyway), and I don’t have a strong opinion on Australias position. Every country should be free to respond to the pandemic in its own way, and within reasonable limits.
However, I feel the need to comment about a few things that Palaszczuk mentions, as Australians might not have much context for the reality of life in other parts of the world.
First, I find it fascinating that Palaszczuk has singled out India. It is hard to see that as not being somewhat, you know. Some of the 620K Australians with Indian heritage might want to visit India to see their family.
This brings me to my next point: travel isn't all about tourism. People can be in long-distance relationships for as long as 18 months. Some people have had babies, some are ill, and they have not been able to visit loved ones.
Palaszczuk also seems to suggest that some people might not want to travel. He cites the fact that you can't talk while eating in Tokyo and that plexiglass shields may be used. It is important to remember that many places around the globe, including the United States and United Kingdom (two of Australia's largest tourist markets), are back to a normal life for those who have been vaccinated.
Palaszczuk seems like he thinks India and Japan are unappealing and implies there is no other place to go. However, something tells me that there may be many Australians interested in travelling to places such as London, Los Angeles and New York.
Bottom line
I'm curious to see what the consequences of the restrictions on border access in Australia will be after Australia reaches the 80% vaccination threshold. While some politicians favor reopening the borders immediately, others don't. The fact that individual states are able to close their borders within their own countries complicates matters further, so we may not see a single policy.
Queensland's premier seemed surprised to learn that people might want to travel, suggesting that India or Japan aren't worth the effort. It seems that this is out of touch on many levels. There are places around the world that are fun to visit right now. But, more importantly, travel goes far beyond tourism. For 18+ months, there have been families, partners, or close friends that have been separated.
To be clear, while I respect the premier's perspective, she may say that things are going well in Queensland, and we want to wait to see what happens before deciding when to reopen borders.
What do you think of Queensland's premier's comments?
