Australia says borders likely to stay closed until 2021

And Australia is a country that is actually doing well with Covid-19! If any other nation, doing more poorly, opens up strictly to try and improve things economically, they are going to invite in more disease, plain and simple, especially if they open to nations like the US, China, Brazil, and even Japan.

I hope that Japan do the same thing.

Keep the borders close!

Uh oh, this doesn’t bode well for my planned trip home for Christmas.

Australia will be lucky to have a functioning economy next year.

The Queensland government, for instance, is doing its best to torpedo the state's tourism industry, one of the biggest employers, so by the time tourists go back there'll be a lot fewer businesses to cater to them.

It's a delicate balance, but I think they should gradually to people with citizenship or PR of certain low-risk countries who have spend a certain period of time in those countries, such as at least 1 month, before landing in Australia.

That's not a perfect solution, but it's something to work from.

People aren't going to want to travel internationally if they have to spend 14 or even 7 days in a confined space for quarantine. Just have to start saving money and go on a longer trip when the risk is much lower.

Fully agree with keeping borders closed to tourists at present - Anywhere. Japan included.Australia have handled this situation very well. Yes - Ecomonies are suffering, so I do also support the full re-opening of economies where the situation IS under control. Domestic stimulation is very important right now. We all need do go out and do our bit and spend what we can afford.

@smithinjapan: You HAVE to get your Japan bashing in don't you? Just for the sake of it. Whereas its quite fair to mention the USA and Brazil in your comment, Japan is currently somewhere around 50th in the world where it comes to confirmed infections. Childish.

kyronstavic: "so by the time tourists go back there'll be a lot fewer businesses to cater to them."

Tourists won't go at all when it becomes a hot zone again if people like you are listened to. There's a reason Australia is doing well in this fight, and it's because they are giving in to the economic whims of people with no plans to travel anyway, but only to profit from it.

People seem to be forgetting that it's not all about tourism. International travel also means business travel (there are things you can't do with Zoom and WhatsApp) and, most importantly for me, international mail.

I really hope that at least for international mail there will be some sort of solution. I can't operate my business without it and there are thousands and thousands of similar small businesses who suffer in the same way.

Fully agreed @JeffreyK. Some exceptions need to be worked out very soon. People like @smithinjapan seem to totally forget the knock on effect further down the chain. If this continues into next year there won't even be an airlines left to get to anywhere. Pre PCR testing to approved countries (so called air-bridges) must come sooner rather than later hence the need for quick accurate tests for the ACTIVE virus, not just an antigen test.

I just don't understand the amount of people on this website who STILL advocate for a domestic lockdown here and waste their time whining about the lack of testing in Japan. Its not going to change, that much should be obvious.

smithinjapanToday  04:18 pm JST

kyronstavic: "so by the time tourists go back there'll be a lot fewer businesses to cater to them."

Tourists won't go at all when it becomes a hot zone again if people like you are listened to. There's a reason Australia is doing well in this fight, and it's because they are giving in to the economic whims of people with no plans to travel anyway, but only to profit from it.

People are welcome to self-isolate or if they want to minimise the risk of exposing themselves to the virus, but to effectively shut down entire economies is madness. How do you think businesses are going to survive and employ people, much less "only to profit from it"?

As JeffreyK mentioned above, thousands and thousands of small businesses are suffering from this enforced slowdown and the knock-on effect both economically and socially is disastrous.

If everyone copied the right wing Australian government there won't be international travel in 2021.

As The Resident says, if everyone followed this draconian rule there won't be any airlines or hotels or tourist attractions next year. Do we think they can survive on no income?

Smithinjapan's point forgets to consider plain and simple economics.

especially if they open to nations like the US, China, Brazil, and even Japan.

Coincidentally forgets to include the current state in South Korea but includes Japan. Oh what a surprise.

JefferyK

Yes, the postal situation is very annoying. Seems that it's possible to post items to France and Germany from Japan for some reason, but not most other countries including England, Australia, Sweden etc. How about the US and Canada?

People aren't going to want to travel internationally if they have to spend 14 or even 7 days in a confined space for quarantine. Just have to start saving money and go on a longer trip when the risk is much lower.

So true. First they face 14 days stuck in a small room unable to leave for any reason, probably at their own expense. Then once they return home it's another 14 days of the same, possibly in their own homes. That's one month of confinement. People are not going to holiday under such conditions. Business travel isn't feasible with those sorts of restrictions either. At present, mail service (including diplomatic communications and services provided by embassies such as passport renewals) is halted in many places. Not only are people at risk of being stuck abroad because they can't return to their country of origin, they also run the risk of becoming stateless in that interval.

Another likely greater concern is the numbers of cargo ships' crews which normally move from ship to ship while in port. Border closures and quarantines affect their ability to keep shipping and worldwide trade functioning. If all of that and more grinds to a full stop as the pandemic continues (and if immunologists are correct in predicting more of the same with other strains of contagion to come) holidays--and even compassionate visits to dying family members--are going to be very low on the list of anyone' problems.