20 Apr 2021

Australia: Covid sanctuary or prisoner island?

In this podcast, we speak to two Australian Channel 4 News journalists – one stuck in New South Wales and one stuck in London – and ask about the pluses and minuses of the Australian model, and whether a slow roll out of the vaccine may mean the borders are closed for a lot longer.

Australia has just opened a travel bubble with neighbouring New Zealand: two nations that have suppressed Covid-19 and have everyday normality.

Australia, home to 25 million people, has seen just under 1,000 deaths in total and daily Covid cases are often in the single digits.

But suppression of the virus comes at a cost: its borders to the rest of the world have been shut for more than a year.

That means people inside the island haven’t been able to leave – and thousands are stranded abroad.

In this podcast, we speak to two Australian Channel 4 News journalists – one stuck in New South Wales and one stuck in London – and ask about the pluses and minuses of the Australian model, and whether a slow roll out of the vaccine may mean the borders are closed for a lot longer.

Sources: ABC News, 9 News

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