It seems that the'Australia is acutely reluctant to reopen its borders. If we are to believe the Federal Secretary of State for Health, Brendan MurphyAustralia could remain out of reach of international visitors. And this, until 2022.
Only the New Zealand would be allowed into the country. Australia and New Zealand have created a "travel bubble". reciprocal. It allows travellers to come without compulsory quarantine.
The Australian government's reluctance even extends to questioning the effectiveness of vaccines. The Secretary of State stressed that as long as there was no proof of the effectiveness of vaccination stop transmission of the virusVaccinated travellers will still have to undergo quarantine. Quarantine is paid for by the visitor and costs between 4,000 and 5,000 Australian dollars (around 2,500 to 3,200 euros).
Behind Australia's inflexibility, the possible spectre of a federal election
However, in a Facebook debate with Internet users, Brendan Murphy toned down his rhetoric a little. He conceded that the country could reopen earlier... if the vaccines proved to be effective.
It is possible that pressure from economic circles pushed the government of Prime Minister Scott Morrison to revise its judgement. "Tourism is an important economic sector in Australia. If the country remains closed for another year, it would be suicidal for this activity," explains Richard Barnes, an Australian tourism journalist based in France.
"Australians are praising the Morrison government for its handling of the covid pandemic. While Australia's isolation is real, the government has managed to preserve a relatively normal life in the country. Australians are grateful for that," adds Richard Barnes.
Australia must keep new federal parliamentary elections in 2022. But according to some political observers, they could be brought forward to 2021. A possible explanation for the Morrison government's inflexibility…
