AMA president Omar Khorshid on Australia’s only way to stay COVID-free

The peak body for doctors has weighed in on Australia’s future plans to tackle coronavirus. And it comes with a warning.

Australia’s international border would have to shut for decades for the nation to “stay free” of COVID-19, the Australian Medical Association (AMA) warns.

Scott Morrison this week defended the nation’s hard border following mounting pressure to bring forward Australia’s gradual reopening from mid-2022.

But AMA President Omar Khorshid has weighed in on Australia’s pathway back to “relatively normal lives”.

“For Australia to stay free of COVID, we have to keep our borders shut for decades,” Dr Khorshid said.

“I don’t think any Australian thinks that’s a reasonable thing to do, particularly when we do have a pathway out of this through vaccination.”

Dr Khorshid said the nation would not be free from COVID-19 forever and reiterated that vaccinating the whole of the population was the only way “to survive” it coming to our shores.

He said Australia also needed to fix its quarantine system to ensure the health of vulnerable people would not be put at risk and get the public hospital system ready for a reopening.

Australian Medical Association president Omar Khorshid says vaccinating the whole of the population is the only way “to survive” coronavirus coming to our shores. Picture: Supplied

People wearing face masks to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 at Sydney Domestic Airport. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Bianca De Marchi

Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews said she understood people’s concerns about the vaccines but reiterated that the risk of getting COVID-19 was far greater than the risks of adverse effects from the jab.

“It is time for you to go out and get vaccinated, do that as soon as you possibly can, protect yourself, protect your family, protect the rest of Australia,” she said.

Ms Andrews said border force was doing a lot of work to make sure Australia could open its borders as soon as the medical advice confirmed it was safe.

This includes making sure people had the appropriate documentation to enter the country.

“One of the things that has been talked about is opportunities for home quarantine,” Ms Andrews told Sunrise.

“That is a matter that we will be discussing with the state and territory governments. We want to make it as effective as possible and as efficient as possible to bring people home as soon as we possibly can.”