Twenty people have COVID-19 out of two million: Why did we shut our border?
Nearly two million people live in South Australia. Twenty of them have COVID-19. Queensland’s response? Slam shut the border. When this lunacy will end is anyone’s guess, writes Kylie Lang.
Kylie Lang
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Nearly two million people live in South Australia. Twenty of them have COVID-19.
Queensland’s response? Slam shut the border. Victorians and Sydneysiders are not welcome and now the Aussies with the broadest accent can nick off too.
When this lunacy will end is anyone’s guess.
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NSW has kept its borders open. It is not engaging in fear mongering at the expense of common sense. It is not squandering economic opportunities to play petty politics.
The facts are clear. Coronavirus is not going to be eradicated. We have to learn to live with it. Vaccines are imminent. The world will keep turning.
But not in Queensland, unless you’re talking about celebrity privilege or packed football stadiums – 50,000 people for tomorrow night’s State of Origin decider at Suncorp is fine, but if you’ve had the misfortune of being anywhere in South Australia, near the outbreak cluster or not, you’ll be forced to quarantine for two weeks in a hotel at your own expense.
The majority of cases in Adelaide are from the same family, yet every family is now paying the price.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison is right when he says outbreaks have been successfully contained before, including in Queensland and NSW, and that borders don’t protect us from contracting the virus.
“It is a very timely reminder here and all around the country, whether you have been behind borders or not, the virus doesn’t care,” Mr Morrison says.
“If you are not following COVID-safe behaviours … then of course you are creating risks. Borders don’t protect you from that.”
This simple logic is lost on Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young.
South Australia might not be as significant in dollar terms to our economy as Sydney and Victoria, but it’s not as if Queensland businesses need another kick in the guts.
How can anyone possibly consider travelling knowing that, at any time and on the whim of power-drunk bureaucrats, they could be slugged a 14-day hotel bill when they get home?
How can businesses plan their recovery when the future is as clear as mud?
The sooner we accept reality and deal sensibly with COVID-19, the sooner we can all move forward.
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