New poll shows 75 per cent of Australians think the country should be opened up after shock revelation that jabs ‘won’t open borders’
- Daily Mail Australia poll showed almost 75 per cent want border open after jabs
- Health Minister Greg Hunt on Tuesday said jabs wouldn’t guarantee re-opening
- Said even if ‘whole country were vaccinated’ national borders could not re-open
- Lashed by business and political experts for making Australia a ‘prison island’
A new poll has shown nearly 75 per cent of Australians believe the federal government should follow through on plans to open the nation’s borders once the country is vaccinated against Covid-19.
Health Minister Greg Hunt on Tuesday said vaccinations alone was ‘no guarantee you can open up’ – meaning it could take years for Australia to fully re-open to the rest of the world.
‘If the whole country were vaccinated, you couldn’t just open the borders,’ he said.
The announcement followed months of promises the country would open up once millions of Australians had been vaccinated against the deadly virus.
The cautious approach has been lashed by both business leaders and political commentators for turning Australia into a ‘prison island’.
A poll of Daily Mail Australia readers in the wake of Mr Hunt’s admission found only 26 per cent wanted to keep the borders closed once Australians have had the jab.
Passengers at Sydney International Airport arrive after flying in from Auckland, New Zealand on September 18, 2020
By contrast, 74 per cent thought it was best to open up when the country’s population had built up an immunity against Covid-19.
Poll
Do you think Australia should open its borders when people are vaccinated against Covid?
Do you think Australia should open its borders when people are vaccinated against Covid?
Now share your opinion
The results follow outspoken Sky News host Rita Panahi saying the move would actually be a disincentive to get the vaccine.
‘It’s a terrible message to be sending out because it discourages people from getting the vaccine,’ outspoken Sky News host Rita Panahi said.
‘It’s basically saying we’re still going to be closed off from the rest of the world.
‘It’s a terrible policy. How much longer can we remain a prison island? At some point we have to rejoin the rest of the world.’
Lawyer Liz Hicks accused the government of ‘shifting the goal posts’ by previously touting vaccines as Australians’ ticket to the outside world.
Registered Nurse Rebecca DeJong receives an injection of COVID-19 vaccine, administered by Registered Nurse Morgan Sleader at Townsville University Hospital on March 5, 2021
An international traveler carries their luggage into the Intercontinental Hotel on April 8 in Melbourne (pictured) – with harsh restrictions meaning most Aussies can’t head abroad
Fears are growing highly infectious ‘mutant strains’ seen in the UK, South Africa and Brazil could also make vaccines less effective in years to come, after an Israeli study this week found ‘breakthrough infections’ are possible after receiving the dose.
Such mutant variants are among the reasons why Mr Hunt and Prime Minister Scott Morrison have warned that widespread use of current vaccines may not be enough to open borders.
No coronavirus vaccines, including the AstraZeneca and Pfizer jabs Australia is relying on, are 100 per cent effective against the deadly virus.
A passenger wearing a facemask arrives at Sydney’s Kingsford Smith Airport from New Zealand (pictured) – the only country in the world Australians can travel to
‘If the whole country were vaccinated, you couldn’t just open the borders,’ Greg Hunt (pictured) said on Tuesday
With over 23million cases still active across the world, Mr Morrison has made no apologies for playing it safe.
‘It’s not safe right now to open up our international borders. Around the world, COVID-19 is still rife,’ he said on Monday.
‘We are still seeing increases in daily cases, particularly in the developing world… but around the world, it is still a very dangerous situation because of Covid.’
Back in January, the prime minister said vaccination in 2021 was ‘a key component’ in Australia’s handling of the pandemic, and previously said it would be as ‘mandatory as possible’.
He even said that if the vaccines were effective at preventing transmission, borders could open sooner than expected – but that is no longer the case.
‘The key thing I think is going to impact on that decision, is going to be whether the evidence emerges about transmissibility, and how the vaccine protects against that,’ Mr Morrison said in February 2021.
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