PERTH, Australia: The west coast of Australia may appear to have avoided COVID-19 almost entirely.
A mask-free nightlife is thriving and large crowds are gathering for sporting events, including 53,000 rugby fans who crowded into a Perth stadium to watch the New Zealand All Blacks defeat the Australian Wallabies on the last sunny Sunday.
“We’re in paradise,” said one of those fans, Andrea Williams, who is in favor of the region continuing to challenge the federal government and maintaining strict border restrictions that keep it separate from the pandemic that is occurring in large parts of the world. rest of Australia.
Although the cities of Sydney and Melbourne in the east have been strictly closed with an increase in virus cases, the capital of Eastern Western Australia, Perth, has remained largely open to business, behind its closed borders.
But the taste many enjoy in the West could make sense that their COVID-free lifestyle could come to an end.
States that remain virtually free of COVID, including Western Australia and Queensland, are facing growing pressure to open their borders, with the national government arguing that restrictions on internal borders are an obstacle to the national economy.
Industry groups complain that closing borders creates critical shortages of labor and supplies, impedes trade, inflates construction costs and limits business opportunities. Damage to corporate results also translates into lower tax revenue for the federal government.
However, as Australia has one of the lowest vaccination rates of all rich countries, reopening could mean an increase in COVID-19 cases in the west and unwanted restrictions.
At Perth Stadium, disinfectant bottles were some of the few reminders of the delta variant that surpasses parts of eastern Australia and much of the world.
Williams said he is about to close the borders, even if that means he cannot be with his daughters in Sydney and Auckland, New Zealand.
“We want this to end, of course, but I think we shouldn’t open up soon,” he said.
The federal government is eager to end policies such as hard-line restrictions on international borders that have kept COVID-19 at bay since March 2020. But its vaccination target to open borders (80% of those over 16) ) is still dodged and 40% are completely vaccinated. .
And since that goal was set in July, infections have skyrocketed and clouded any debate about reopening.
In mid-June, an unvaccinated limousine driver tested positive for delta after being infected while transporting a U.S. cargo crew from Sydney Airport. In subsequent months, more than 30,000 infections have been reported in New South Wales and Victoria, Australia’s two most populous states, where half the country’s population lives. Daily infections have gone from a handful to over 1,500 and are increasing.
Western Australian Prime Minister Mark McGowan has said his state will likely be months behind the rest of the country when it opens its borders.
“Why are they on this mission to bring COVID to Western Australia, to infect our public?” McGowan asked, referring to the federal government.
“If we let the virus in consciously, it would mean that hundreds of people would die, we would have to withdraw our local liberties, introduce restrictions and shut down large parts of our economy,” he added.
The federal government has responded with frustration, saying it bears much of the financial burden of supporting companies in sectors such as tourism that are in danger of failing without interstate travelers.
“Every other country in the world is learning to live with COVID, and it seems that in Queensland and Western Australia there is a denial of the reality we have to make,” said Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg.
Many of those in the west say they have been doing things right as they are.
Sergio Guazzelli, owner of a West Coast cafe, has only endured three state-ordered closures, for a total of 12 days. In comparison, Melbourne has had more than 220 days of blockade.
Guazzelli said his business in the port city of Fremantle, on the Perth Strip, is “flat” while locals enjoy their freedom.
“People come out more for what’s going on in Sydney and Melbourne. They want to enjoy life because we don’t know what awaits us,” Guazzelli said.
While there is some frustration in Western Australia over the inconvenience of border restrictions, such as not being able to see the family elsewhere, the Prime Minister’s pandemic response has earned him record approval ratings and a status of celebrity within his state that is extraordinary in Australian politics.
Some supporters have even tattooed the image of McGowan. Its appeal is particularly strong for young people, many of whom enjoy a thriving bar and nightclub scene.
“You have to feel sorry for young people from other parts of the world who have lost their nightlife, so I feel lucky to have been able to live my life,” said Sean McDonald, a 23-year-old college student.
The lack of concern about the virus in Western Australia is reflected in the country’s lowest vaccination rate, at 36.3%, followed by Queensland at 36.4%. The national vaccination rate is 40.4%.
Western Australia and Queensland blame their late launches on the failure of the federal government to provide more vaccines sooner.
The federal government has warned that while the country’s Supreme Court last year rejected a billionaire’s challenge to the legality of Western Australia’s border restrictions, the state may not have the luck of a second. challenge now that vaccines are available.
But the federal government has not mentioned the option of passing a law that would overturn border controls in Western Australia and other states.
Constitutional lawyer George Williams suspects the government does not want to take that step because it is facing re-election for May and needs votes in Western Australia.
Perth doctor Omar Khorshid, national president of the Australian Medical Association, said keeping the state border closed is popular among many of his patients. But they should understand that it is not possible to keep the delta out, he said.
“It’s coming to Western Australia like the rest of the country, and it’s critical that we prepare,” he said.
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McGuirk reported from Canberra, Australia.