Predictions of when international flights may resume/bans lifted

[JB expat]

To be totally blunt:
- how many people have died from covid19 in the UK in the past 6 months?
- how many people have died from covid19 in the US in the past 6 months?
- how many people have died from covid19 in Europe in the past 6 months?

Then, how many people have died from covid19 in Australia in the past 6 months?

There's your clear and relevant incentive!

In your opinion things may be an utter shambles, or totally mucked up. I believe otherwise. And having travelled to all of the states and territories except Tassie in the past six months, had plenty of family occasions and been able to play my favourite sports over the summer, I'm content with that belief. Sure, going on a planned overseas holiday last year would have been great and I'll be getting whichever vaccination is offered when it's my turn; no rush.

I also believe the glass is half full. YMMV.

My entire family lives overseas. I emigrated to Australia from USA. Not everyone travels purely for holiday. While I was happy with the Aus governments methods last year (even here in Melb where we were locked down for a long time), the fact that they are making opening the borders contingent on high vaccination rates, while failing at securing the necessary supply and implementing an incentive-type scheme that pushes people to getting vaccinated as soon as possible is what makes me angry. While there are low vaccination rates, the borders will not open and Aus will stay safe and people will say "why vaccinate"/"no rush" and thus the government will not open the borders which will solidify the "why vaccinate"/"no rush" mentality. This is simply not acceptable nor sustainable.

In addition, my global work colleagues are going to start to travel again - no, not this month or next month but I strongly suspect prior to year end. This will put me at a disadvantage in terms of my career. No, I won't be "punished" or "penalized" for not being able to travel, but I am at a level that face time with senior management (US based) matters and when they come to say, Singapore or HKG, the fact that I am not there will make a difference.

 

[ayushamity]

Majority of Australians are keen to see borders reopened

Obviously not a balanced poll but still something heartening

The public perception needs to start changing to see borders open - Its all about the politics

 

[hb13]

This argument that the AU Govt got the vaccine orders wrong goes counter to the argument that the UK are doing much better with rollout using the very same vaccines.

Well this is the point I'm trying to make. It's not only about what vaccines are being used. It includes supply and messaging. It is about all aspects of the vaccination strategy - and the Australian government has failed miserably on all those fronts.

The argument that has been peddled by some about the clotting issue or that supplies were interrupted or the pharma companies didn't deliver what was promised is folly - the government should have contingencies in place. For example, at the end of March, 5 million doses of AZ were supposed to be on their way to the UK from India - yes, 5 million, but these never came because of the situation in India. However, this has not even dented the roll out here and the targets set out are on track to be met, because of contingencies in place. Even with the AZ clotting issues, it has not altered the program.

 

[hb13]

My entire family lives overseas. I emigrated to Australia from USA. Not everyone travels purely for holiday. While I was happy with the Aus governments methods last year (even here in Melb where we were locked down for a long time), the fact that they are making opening the borders contingent on high vaccination rates, while failing at securing the necessary supply and implementing an incentive-type scheme that pushes people to getting vaccinated as soon as possible is what makes me angry. While there are low vaccination rates, the borders will not open and Aus will stay safe and people will say "why vaccinate"/"no rush" and thus the government will not open the borders which will solidify the "why vaccinate"/"no rush" mentality. This is simply not acceptable nor sustainable.

In addition, my global work colleagues are going to start to travel again - no, not this month or next month but I strongly suspect prior to year end. This will put me at a disadvantage in terms of my career. No, I won't be "punished" or "penalized" for not being able to travel, but I am at a level that face time with senior management (US based) matters and when they come to say, Singapore or HKG, the fact that I am not there will make a difference.

These are important points. And like you, I need to go back to Australia for family and work purposes.

When people tie international travel to holidays only, they forget about people needing to travel for a multitude of other reasons. Frankly, it is frustrating and short-sighted.

 

[burmans]

But NZ decided to go with only one.Hence the problems with slow supply

They won’t be waiting until Q4 for their supply though!

Post automatically merged: May 19, 2021

This is the sort of message we need to get out there!

Experts warn Australia at risk of third COVID wave without widespread vaccination — The Age

Following calls to hasten the reopening of the nation’s borders, experts warn it won’t be safe to remove restrictions until at least 70 per cent of the population is vaccinated.

apple.news

 

[serfty]

Majority of Australians are keen to see borders reopened

Obviously not a balanced poll but still something heartening

The public perception needs to start changing to see borders open - Its all about the politics

Certainly biased as distinct from not balanced; even the headline and the article content are divorced from each other:

The survey of 500 travellers found 68 per cent supported international travel resuming in a phased way, with almost 80 per cent backing the idea of safe zones being set up between Australia and countries with low COVID-19 case rates.

I'm surprised as many as 160 of the travellers surveyed were not in favour ..

 

[bcworld]

Shock horror, press making a mountain out of a molehill. The problem here IMO lies with whoever decided to release details / numbers of people with suspected clotting issues. They should wait until they are sure before putting the fear of god into people.

To be fair...the perception problem started when several EU countries withdrew use of the AZ vaccine or recommended its use only for specific age groups...e.g. over 60s in Germany. Obviously that is genuinely newsworthy. I'd happily receive the AZ vaccine (as an under 50) by the way.

 

[drron]

Shock horror, press making a mountain out of a molehill. The problem here IMO lies with whoever decided to release details / numbers of people with suspected clotting issues. They should wait until they are sure before putting the fear of god into people.

Except that it is often the person that has the clots or their family releasing their information.As a medical practitioner I can not release patient details nor should a hospital.
The most recent case is a young woman who has had a DVT and Pulmonary Embolism which she blames on the AZ vaccine she had 7 weeks ago.It has to be investigated but this type of clotting was far from rare in young women in the pre covid days.

 

[trevella]

Based on what we're hearing at the government level, I wouldn't rule out a tentative attempt at opening up from 2H 2022 after the "completion" of a booster rollout midyear... but I would pretty much rule out anything more than some limited exceptions before then.

From a Japan perspective, the accommodation landscapes in Hakuba, Niseko, and Furano are likely to look quite different by the time Aussies can make it back there, though. Hakuba was beautifully but depressingly peaceful a couple of months ago. A lot of restaurants and bars are starting to go out of business, too. A write-off 2021/2022 ski season won't help in that regard.

The foreign student situation could go either way, but I'm not especially optimistic about 2022 given that the government could have allowed every single mainland Chinese or Taiwanese or Singaporean student to return this year with near-zero COVID-19 risk (even without quarantine) and opted not to do so, expense to the education sector be damned.

Any pretense that the borders might be opened up suddenly is just pure spin aimed at scaring some people into getting jabbed. All just part of an ongoing "education" campaign. It must be so tiresome listening to Aussie media 24/7.

 

[OATEK]

The NSW Government is working hard to come up with a quarantine and accommodation solution for overseas students, and their aim is to have it available for Semester 1 in 2022 (eg Feb/Mar). This gives me some hope of travel before mid-year.

 

[Seat0B]

Majority of Australians are keen to see borders reopened

Obviously not a balanced poll but still something heartening

The public perception needs to start changing to see borders open - Its all about the politics

...and so the see-saw of "people want the borders closed" and "people want the borders opened" continues (noting that the sponsor of this "open up" poll was the Airports Association - they would say that wouldn't they - maybe they surveyed people from AFF ).
The politicians just need to show some leadership here and lay out a plan that everyone can see, hear and understand for how the borders can be re-opened - because open borders is the only setting that makes sense in the mid-long terms. The problem at the moment is the refusal of the government(s) to set targets and trigger levels for people/businesses to aim at.

And I am getting really really sick of the media portraying that the only reasons for going overseas are holidays or business. With 30% of Australians born overseas, and a large number of expats, there are literally millions of families here who are looking for a family reunion. Tell us what we have to do to get a family reunion going, and watch us all comply.

 

[oznflfan]

...and so the see-saw of "people want the borders closed" and "people want the borders opened" continues (noting that the sponsor of this "open up" poll was the Airports Association - they would say that wouldn't they - maybe they surveyed people from AFF ).
The politicians just need to show some leadership here and lay out a plan that everyone can see, hear and understand for how the borders can be re-opened - because open borders is the only setting that makes sense in the mid-long terms. The problem at the moment is the refusal of the government(s) to set targets and trigger levels for people/businesses to aim at.

And I am getting really really sick of the media portraying that the only reasons for going overseas are holidays or business. With 30% of Australians born overseas, and a large number of expats, there are literally millions of families here who are looking for a family reunion. Tell us what we have to do to get a family reunion going, and watch us all comply.

Sheep & election (Prime Minister says 2022 but it'll be 2021) = NO PLAN.

Once elected, risks have changed and medical data now supports ANNOUNCING A PLAN.

Plan (announced in February 2022) will be borders open in July 2022, better get your vaccine or suffer the consequences.

 

[Silvia]

The government definitely needs to provide a reasonable timeline. It is absolutely frustrating having these revised all the time. I understand how complex and difficult it is. I had a relative who unfortunately passed away from COVID whilst she never left her house. On the other hand, my whole family is overseas and I have a newborn whom they have no idea when they will be able to meet. They are all vaccinated and eager to do quarentine or whatever it takes to meet my son.

I understand public welfare and the importance of keeping people safe, but something's gotta give. The government is not being compassionate to some of us who have had it hard... I went through a whole pregnancy with very little support and now a postpartum period with no support given than my family don't classify as my immediate family, yet the government says they care about their citizen's mental health...

 

[SydneySwan]

Sheep & election (Scomo say 2022 but it'll be 2021) = NO PLAN.

Once elected, risks have changed and medical data now supports ANNOUNCING A PLAN.

Plan (announced in February 2022) will be borders open in July 2022, better get your vaccine or suffer the consequences.

This is what politicians call a ‘hypothetical’. You cannot assume the current federal government will be re-elected. I have my money on the soon to be formed ‘Time to open the borders’ party romping home in a landslide. I expect many AFFers will be taking up positions in cabinet.

 

[JB expat]

Maybe the campaign needs to be (once there is availability): We are opening the borders without hotel quarantine in 120 days...count down until you are at risk of covid unless you are vaccinated or chose to stay home forever. Oh - and you cannot go to footie/rugby/concerts/museums/theater etc without proof of vaccination (or legitimately exempt).

 

[oznflfan]

This is what politicians call a ‘hypothetical’. You cannot assume the current federal government will be re-elected. I have my money on the soon to be formed ‘Time to open the borders’ party romping home in a landslide. I expect many AFFers will be taking up positions in cabinet.

If Albanese came out with a plan to re-open I would vote for him. Alas he is just as quiet as your mate.

 

[dajop]

If Albanese came out with a plan to re-open I would vote for him. Alas he is just as quiet as your mate.

He probably knows which way the winds are blowing too. There are very few votes in "reckless" border opening (that's how the media would portray it anyway). A carefully constructed story about family reunions could work though, just need to avoid the sport/business/overseas holiday arguments.

What we need is more Gladys type leadership. Will be interesting to hear from Dan on this when he returns too. IMHO Vic & NSW both have the most to gain from border opening.

 

[mviy]

If Albanese came out with a plan to re-open I would vote for him. Alas he is just as quiet as your mate.

Albanese's line will be that the Federal government has hopelessly mismanaged COVID, but whether he offers much in the way of solutions to do better going forward is another question entirely. I don't think he'll come out with a pre-election plan that is very different from the Coalition's. when it comes to allowing travel again.

However, he may propose building facilities like Howard Springs around the country with a view that having many more quarantine places will allow restrictions to be eased from mid next year or possibly earlier subject to health advice.

 

[Matt_01]

I have my money on the soon to be formed ‘Time to open the borders’ party romping home in a landslide. I expect many AFFers will be taking up positions in cabinet.

I am not after a position in cabinet, I would like to be the 'Grand High Poobah'. First order of business, relocate all the anti vaxxer's to a common location either WA or QLD springs to mind, close these borders and open up the rest of the country.

 

[oznflfan]

Scomo and Albo both as bad as each other. I had first Pfizer jab on Monday, second booked for 7th June. Great news given I thought I would be end of the year. Offsetting that is now that I am soon to be fully vaccinated, feel trapped even more.

Somewhere in Feb next year would be great (not NZ nor Pacific Islands).