Not just Foreigners restricted by Australian Border Controls.
There are many foreign passport holders that are waiting for Visas or Exemptions to enter Australia. They might be partners of other foreign passport holders that are Residents of Australia, of even partners of Australian Citizens. There are many that hold student visas to study in Australia, but most have to wait until the COVID-19 pandemic is considered to be at a low enough risk to allow travel.
These foreign passport holders must stay in their home countries and are restricted from Entering Australia.
What many people are not aware of is the restriction on Australian Citizens. They too must stay in their home country. Most are not allowed to leave Australia, many are not even allowed to leave the state they live in.
The Australian Border Force, between 25 March and 31 July, had received 91,950 applications from Australian Citizens and Permanent Residents, to be able to leave Australia, but has refused 69,310 of them. Now, towards the end of August, that would be about 80,000 Australian Citizens and Permanent Residents, that have been refused permission to leave Australia, due to the coronavirus risk.
The reason stated by the government, from stopping so many from leaving, is due to the concerns that they could spread the coronavirus when they return home.
That is the same reason given for stopping so many foreign passport holders, with or without visas, from entering Australia.
But not only ‘overseas travel’ is banned to most Australians, many are not even allowed to visit their families that live in other States.
Some Australians, that find themselves needing to travel interstate for important events such as the birth of a child, marriage of a child, the death of a parent, or to take up a job, are not even permitted to travel for that reason. The risk of bringing the virus back into that state is considered too high.
The second wave of the virus in Victoria is an example of how a single infection, from an overseas arrival can cause a massive problem.
The Rydges on Swanston hotel in Melbourne was being used as a quarantine hotel for returned overseas travellers. A family of 4 had symptoms in May, and later in May the first confirmed case was notified. At that time there had been 20 deaths from COVID-19 in the state, with none for the previous 4 weeks. There are now 376. One simple mismanaged quarantine case caused another 356 deaths in Victoria.
In Queensland, two interstate travellers entered Queensland from New South Wales, and brought COVID-19 with them, causing a fast reaction and shutting the NSW-QLD border again, with many thousands of Queenslanders having to get tested, and taking more precautions again.
NSW has also had to shut borders with Victoria.
One has to ask… When and where will this end?
Is it safe to allow entry?
Should all borders be closed?