Coronavirus: One way ‘useless’ for Indian Ocean islands tourism

Australia’s coronavirus-free islands in the Indian Ocean are ready to welcome tourists from Western Australia.

A diver at Swell Resort on Christmas Island.

Australia’s coronavirus-free islands in the Indian Ocean are ready to welcome tourists from Western Australia. But in a puzzling turn of events, a travel arrangement being worked out between the McGowan Labor government and the Morrison government appears likely to work one way only.

Residents of the pristine atolls of Cocos (Keeling) Islands and those who live on the edge of the monsoonal forests of Christmas Island will soon be able to fly to Perth without the need to apply for an exemption or submit to two weeks of self isolation on arrival. This is because there has not been a single case of COVID on either of the islands – locked down since March 18 – and all known cases in WA are returned travellers confined to quarantine.

However there is no sign that the eased travel arrangements would bring any relief for tourist operators on the islands, both Australian territories. In recent weeks West Australian residents have been allowed to apply to travel to Cocos and Christmas islands without the need to self isolate on arrival, but on return to Perth they still have to quarantine for two weeks. Tourist operators say the arrangement is as good as useless.

Perth woman Liza Dicks, who owns a house on Cocos, planned to travel there with family and friends for a dive holiday on July 31 but said WA Police told her that if she went, she could not come home to Western Australia unless she agreed to self isolate for 14 days.

“We put in our Good2Go applications on the basis that we don’t need to self isolate on return since we would be going to a COVID-free island and we were rejected,” she said.

“It doesn’t make any sense.”

The only flights to or from either island are through Perth. Flights to the islands from Asia have been banned for months.

Christmas Island’s Swell Lodge owner Chris Bray has appealed directly to WA premier Mark McGowan in a YouTube video entitled “Dear Mark”.

“WA residents can finally come here and have an amazing tropical holiday at Swell Lodge … with no need to quarantine on arrival in this 100 per cent COVID-free paradise,” he said.

“Except when they return home to WA you are forcing them to quarantine. Incase they caught what, Mark?”

A spokeswoman for the state government told The Australian the plan was not finalised.

“The details for the travel zone with Christmas and Cocos Islands is still being worked through however the proposed plan, not in place yet, would allow for people from Christmas Island and Cocos Island to enter WA without quarantining,” the spokeswoman said.