Posted on 02/20/2022 8:49:29 PM PST by SeekAndFind
Despite grappling with a new COVID outbreak in remote Western Australia, where authorities recorded a record 257 new COVID cases on Saturday and another 200+ on Sunday, the Australian government is finally raising its "drawbridge" on Monday as it allows the first tourists to enter the county after two years of stringent travel restrictions.
As Reuters quips early in its report on the occasion, Australia's notoriously strict policy earned it the nickname "Fortress Australia." And while the "drawbridge" approach helped its eradicate COVID for a time, case numbers finally surged to record highs during the global omicron wave, which hasn't quite yet subsided. PM Scott Morrison told a group of reporters assembled that the "wait is over".
According to the latest national case numbers, the 7-day average is at the very least trending lower, having just broken below 25K/day. Deaths have fallen to just under 50/day, on average.
Souce: WorldoMeter
All this means Australia's death rate is just 19.37 per 100,000, one of the lowest in the world.
Australia's draconian immigration policy was brought to national attention just last month when tennis superstar Novak Djokovic was eventually deported after being detained for nearly a week (before being freed by a judge) despite having secured an official exemption from the country's stringent vaccination mandate.
The big question now is whether Australia's tourism industry, which was growing nearly 2x as fast as GDP before the pandemic, will recover (real tourism GDP expanded 3.4% in 2018-2019, compared with overall GDP growth of 1.9% during the same period.
Unvaccinated tourists entering the country will still be required to quarantine, the government said. Reuters reports:
"Fully vaccinated tourists will not need to quarantine," but those who have not received two doses "will require a travel exemption to enter the country and will be subject to state and territory quarantine requirements."
Australians are among the most heavily vaccinated people in the world. Roughly 94% of the over-16 population is now at least double-jabbed, and many have received a booster dose.
As protests and public backlash intensified, Australia finally started rolling back its restrictions in November, first allowing Australians to travel in and out, then admitting international students and some workers. Now, travelers for both leisure and business will be allowed to enter the country more or less freely - provided they have the proper "documentation", of course.
No way, no how, not never.
Last place I would visit after Canada, China, New Zealand and North Korea.
Terrorize your citizenry for two years and just like that, it’s over. Everything’s cool. But everything isn’t cool. The world now knows the kangaroo has a secret swastika in its closet.
At some point, Canada will return to normalcy under Justin Trudeau. But under his terms, of course.
But who wants to go there? As a tourist destination it ranks just below North Korea in my estimation
Am I missing something? Wouldn’t it be “lowering” the drawbridge if they were allowing visitors?
That’s exactly what I was thinking... you ‘lower’ the drawbridge to let people in, not ‘raise’ it.
don't spend money on these people...
I got some big email yesterday from Quantas....all kinds of deals.
Tourism-wise, they’ve taken a massive hit over two years. From the crowd who might have interest prior to Covid...I would imagine 90-percent are shaking their head over fear of getting pushed into a quarantine ‘camp’ upon arrival.
It’s inside its pouch.
Freudian slip.
Australia turned itself back into a penal colony. Who the frig would want to go there?
“Fully vaccinated tourists will not need to quarantine,” but those who have not received two doses “will require a travel exemption to enter the country and will be subject to state and territory quarantine requirements.”
wow, what a dream vacation!
No sale. After two years of watching their draconian actions, there’s no way I’d visit Australia right now.
Places to visit before Australia:
North Korea
Venezuela
Snake Island, Brazil
Zimbabwe
“Fully vaccinated tourists will not need to quarantine,” but those who have not received two doses “will require a travel exemption to enter the country and will be subject to state and territory quarantine requirements.”
Why? So Called vaccines have proven completely ineffective...
Thank you, Officer Friendly!
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