4 ms·

What was the justification in banning citizens from leaving?

by sumedh 5y ago

bradrn 5y ago
At the most basic level: if people don’t leave, they can’t come back with the virus. Also, we’ve instituted mandatory hotel quarantine for anyone coming to Australia. But hotel quarantine only has a certain number of places; if less people leave Australia, then less people will come back and fill up hotel quarantine spaces.
- refurb 5y ago
  Indeed. It’s kind of amazing that Singapore, often accused of being overly authoritarian, took a much softer approach to Covid than Australia. You could always leave. Citizens and PRs could always come back (although if they left after a certain date they had to pay for their care if they got Covid). Even immigrants workers could leave. You needed permission to come back, but unless Covid was raging they took in quite a lot of workers.
  - c_o_n_v_e_x 5y ago
    "Even immigrant workers could leave" This is true however return for foreigners was never guaranteed. It has opened up only very recently. I've been stuck in Singapore for 2 years as of last weekend.
    - refurb 5y ago
      Sure, but plenty of foreigners have left and returned and many new foreigner workers have entered. You are right there was no guarantee you could return if Covid cases exploded, but there was at least a decent pathway. Australia from what I gathered put up as many obstacles as possible AND requires permission to leave.
- L_226 5y ago
  I think the real reason is even more nefarious - by making this change they are dissuading expats from coming back at all. Why come back and use up a quarantine slot when you know you'll have trouble leaving again. Better just skip Christmas this year (again).
c_o_n_v_e_x 5y ago
Prevent the tax dodgers from going back and forth to Bali
- FireBeyond 5y ago
  Nope - because the rich are all sorts of capable of being granted the 'exemptions' to do as they wish anyway. (I'm an Australian citizen with family in Melbourne who has lived in the US for 15 years). Exemptions have been granted for people who were told "if you can fly charter, not commercial, you can be exempted", and other things that are (while certainly risk reducing) very much "show me the money". i.e. exactly the people who will be engaging in tax minimization/avoidance/dodging. Me? Best hope my elderly parents don't get unwell.

What was the justification in banning citizens from leaving?

by sumedh 5y ago

What was the justification in banning citizens from leaving?

At the most basic level: if people don’t leave, they can’t come back with the virus. Also, we’ve instituted mandatory hotel quarantine for anyone coming to Australia. But hotel quarantine only has a certain number of places; if less people leave Australia, then less people will come back and fill up hotel quarantine spaces.

refurb 5y ago
Indeed. It’s kind of amazing that Singapore, often accused of being overly authoritarian, took a much softer approach to Covid than Australia. You could always leave. Citizens and PRs could always come back (although if they left after a certain date they had to pay for their care if they got Covid). Even immigrants workers could leave. You needed permission to come back, but unless Covid was raging they took in quite a lot of workers.
- c_o_n_v_e_x 5y ago
  "Even immigrant workers could leave" This is true however return for foreigners was never guaranteed. It has opened up only very recently. I've been stuck in Singapore for 2 years as of last weekend.
  - refurb 5y ago
    Sure, but plenty of foreigners have left and returned and many new foreigner workers have entered. You are right there was no guarantee you could return if Covid cases exploded, but there was at least a decent pathway. Australia from what I gathered put up as many obstacles as possible AND requires permission to leave.
L_226 5y ago
I think the real reason is even more nefarious - by making this change they are dissuading expats from coming back at all. Why come back and use up a quarantine slot when you know you'll have trouble leaving again. Better just skip Christmas this year (again).

c_o_n_v_e_x 5y ago

Prevent the tax dodgers from going back and forth to Bali

FireBeyond 5y ago
Nope - because the rich are all sorts of capable of being granted the 'exemptions' to do as they wish anyway. (I'm an Australian citizen with family in Melbourne who has lived in the US for 15 years). Exemptions have been granted for people who were told "if you can fly charter, not commercial, you can be exempted", and other things that are (while certainly risk reducing) very much "show me the money". i.e. exactly the people who will be engaging in tax minimization/avoidance/dodging. Me? Best hope my elderly parents don't get unwell.