For many Australians, quarantine cannot be too tough
Most of its people favour even tougher restrictions on travel
IT TOOK TWO cases of covid-19 to plunge Perth, the capital of Western Australia, into lockdown on April 24th. The state government announced a three-day “circuit-breaker” just as locals were gearing up for a long weekend. “We can’t take any chances,” declared the premier, Mark McGowan.
Australian states keep ordering snap lockdowns because they are nervous about more contagious strains of covid-19. Some of the world’s strictest border controls have generally held the virus at bay. Most foreigners are barred from entering the country, and returning citizens must quarantine for two weeks in guarded hotels. When a case of the virus slips through, state premiers throw up defences.
This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “Isolation nation”
Asia May 1st 2021
From the May 1st 2021 edition
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