London calling: you’re too slow on coronavirus action

Illustration: Tom Jellett

Late on Saturday night, I arrived in Sydney from London via Dubai. I was alarmed by what I experienced. At the airport, there were few precautions taken to prevent the spread of coronavirus: no small group checking for symptoms, no thermal scanning of ­passengers, no individual temperature checks and little questioning by Australian Border Force staff.

We were advised to wear masks after exiting the plane. Yet they are not easily available for purchase and none was provided by airline or airport staff, even though medical professionals say they are needed for hospitals. There were no hand sanitiser ­stations as at Heathrow, even though we had our own.

Like hundreds of other passengers, we compulsorily exited through duty free. There were no restrictions on handling alcohol, perfume, chocolate bars, clothing or kids’ toys. The staff there were friendly and eager to make a sale.

They were not all wearing masks or gloves, and there was no social distancing.

Just arrived in Sydney from London via Dubai and I’m deeply worried that we are not taking enough precautions for #coronavirus. Sailed through customs/quarantine in minutes. No small group checking for symptoms, prolonged questioning or heat sensor equipment used in Dubai.

— Troy Bramston (@TroyBramston) March 21, 2020

COVID-19 information sheets were circulated on the plane and on arrival. We filled in a form agreeing to self-quarantine for 14 days and provided details of where we would be. After collecting our bags, we made for the exit within minutes. The questioning by Border Force staff was perfunctory and only a few wore masks.

By now, hundreds of Australians ordered home by the government could have infected others at many different contact points.

But it got worse. We then rolled our bags out into the arrival hall. I was stunned. It was filled with at least 100 people, some of them holding balloons, all bunched up together and waiting to pick up family and friends.

Unlike at many other airports, we are not taking every possible measure to limit infections. Even during our brief transit through Dubai, thermal imaging equipment was set up at different locations and passengers were being carefully monitored. Many countries are separating passengers into small groups for observation, using thermal scanners and undertaking individual temperature tests.

A German doctor prepares to do a coronavirus swab test. Picture: Getty Images

Evidence shows, depending on procedures used, that airport screening can be hit-and-miss. Still, passengers with symptoms can be intercepted and isolated for medical attention or assisted into self-quarantine to limit exposure to others. It can also be used to collect information that can help stop the spread of the virus if a passenger later tests positive. Contact tracing has been a crucial weapon in combating coronavirus.

We are facing the greatest pandemic since the Spanish Influenza a century ago. The economic and social impact is like nothing experienced since World War II. We need to do everything we can to reduce infections. Identifying just one person with coronavirus at the airport could stop two or three other people being infected, and their subsequent infection of two or three other people, and so on.

It could save lives.

Another example of our lax border controls is the cruise ship fiasco. As reported, about 2700 passengers from the Ruby Princess disembarked in Sydney last week even though testing was ongoing for passengers with coronavirus symptoms. Now dozens have tested positive. This is a reckless lapse in biosecurity by the NSW government, and those respon­sible should be held accountable.

Our infection curve is not encouraging. Infections are doubling every few days. The reality is that, right now, we are just weeks away from where the UK and the US are today. The international evidence shows that testing and contact tracing — combined with strict quarantine rules, social distancing, lockdowns and school closures — are necessary to slow and limit infections.

Having spent last week in London, I witnessed just how quickly things can change. The city was bustling with energy one day, and then almost deserted days later. Boris Johnson realised that social distancing was not being strictly followed and dramatically step­ped up measures to ensure it was.

Schools were deemed safe, and then days later Britons were told they would close. We have been too late in adopting similarly restrictive measures here in Australia. All schools should have closed by now.

Yet Australian governments cannot agree about children going to school. Chief medical officers say schools should remain open. Scott Morrison has encouraged children to go to school. Daniel Andrews closed Victoria’s schools. In NSW, Gladys Berejiklian has encouraged parents to keep their children at home, and yet the state’s schools will remain open. Confused? This conflicting advice is unacceptable.

Just as state and federal ­governments need to better co-­ordinate their response to coronavirus, this is no time for politics. Anthony Albanese’s push to join the national cabinet is political game-playing. He has no operational responsibility for anything. The national cabinet is not a mini-parliament; it is a streamlined ­decision-making body with executive authority.

Overall, the Prime Minister, premiers and chief ministers have managed the crisis well. This is not easy. The government’s stimulus packages have been timely and targeted and will help to alleviate the economic damage. But I do think more demand measures will be needed, including direct payments to households.

We must do more to slow the spread of coronavirus. Some ­Australians are still not taking it ­seriously enough. In some areas, governments, too, have been complacent. A month ago, Health Minister Greg Hunt said, based on advice, the virus had been “contained” and it was “safe” to be “out in the community”. He could not have been more wrong.