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Australians split on border closures
Nearly half of Australian social media users think strict state border closures aimed at containing the coronavirus are harmful or unnecessary, a new study shows.
The analysis of social media activity, published on Wednesday by data-gathering company Isentia, found that over a period of six months, 49.4 per cent of social media conversations about border restrictions were “negative”.
Many users were seen arguing that the decisions from their respective state premiers lacked compassion, were unnecessary, or were damaging to the economy, the company said.
The findings came as Western Australia, which sealed its borders to the rest of the country on April 5, announced it would become the first state to ease rules on visiting Victorians.
Premier Mark McGowan confirmed on Tuesday afternoon that Victoria’s declining case numbers meant tough requirements could be wound back from October 5 provided infections continued to fall.
From then, Victorians arriving in WA will no longer be forced into hotel quarantine at their own expense.
Instead, they will be allowed to self-quarantine for 14 days at a designated address – although they will still have to receive an exemption.
The loosening of travel rules will be welcome news for Victorians who have spent nearly six months separated from loved ones in WA.
But in an unexpected twist, concerns are growing of a fresh outbreak in WA after 17 out of 21 crew members on board an international ship docked in Port Hedland tested positive to COVID-19 on Monday.
Nine of the infected crew have remained on the vessel and the other 12 have been moved to hotel quarantine in Port Hedland.
The ship is also being deep cleaned, and a replacement crew flown in.
The new cluster has disrupted WA’s impressive months-long streak of keeping daily coronavirus cases close to zero.
Acknowledging a coronavirus outbreak would be devastating to the Pilbara region, Health Minister Roger Cook said he was confident the situation was under control.
“All the positive cases are well and truly locked down in that facility,” Mr Cooke told WA Today.
“No way in the world we would allow the disease to get out.”
The state has had just 676 cases of COVID-19 and nine deaths since the pandemic began, compared to 20,149 infections in Victoria and 787 deaths.
Some 20 Filipino nationals and the captain were on board when the ship anchored nine nautical miles off Port Hedland on September 16.
