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It has been 18 months since Australia closed its international borders.
Locking in was the country’s main defense against the spread of Covid-19.
“I am not going to take risks with the lives of Australians” was Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s mantra for over a year.
And it has largely worked. Despite the current epidemics in Sydney and Melbourne, just over 1,100 people have died from the virus since the start of the pandemic. Only about 30 countries in the world have a lower number of deaths per capita.
But as the world opens up, there is no certainty when Australia will do the same. Even though he has given up on pursuing zero Covids, most Australians find themselves either locked out or locked up. And currently, around 10 million are also locked up.
A national plan gives hope for international travel once 80% of those eligible are fully vaccinated. Home quarantine is also being tested as an alternative to hotel quarantine.
But double vaccination rates are currently only 40%. A deployment for adolescents has only just begun. And Western Australia, which has kept Covid-19 cases near zero, has hinted it could keep travel restrictions in place for much longer.
We have heard hundreds of stories of separation, despair and tragedy. Here are a few.
The missed funeral
Australian citizens and permanent residents need an exemption to leave the country if they intend to return. Usually, they have to accept that they will be away for at least three months.
Tens of thousands of exemptions have been granted, many for humanitarian reasons. But tens of thousands more have been turned down.
Kristina Sahleström lives in Sydney. Her mother Ylva died suddenly in Sweden at the end of July.
Kristina says she was twice refused permission to return and therefore missed the funeral. She must have watched the cremation online.
“My family told me it was very peaceful, but when you see it on a little phone, that translation of peace doesn’t come,” she said.
“I wanted to be there for selfish reasons, for the sake of myself and to deal with my grief and deal with the shock of something happening so quickly. And I feel a lot of guilt for leaving my brother alone.
“But it was also the respect to be there as his daughter. It’s a level of respect that I think she should have received.
“They were unnecessarily harsh, when compassion should have been shown. It is a general rule that does not allow differences in situations.”
Separated partners
Mikey Votano is a musician and artist from Sydney. His partner Kathryn Relf is in the UK.
“We both work on cruise ships and have been together for five years. Our pre-Covid life was between Australia and Britain, but Kathryn and I were separated when the pandemic started and n haven’t been able to see each other since, “he says.
“We asked for her to join me here in Australia, but all requests were refused. We paid a ridiculous amount to the lawyers to try and get a visa for Kathryn to come to Australia, but we are still waiting to hear . “
“I have received offers to work in Europe but until recently I had not been able to get the vaccine. I just got my first dose of Pfizer last week.
“There is work booked in Europe for June 2022, which will be my first contract in two and a half years. But with border closures and flight costs, I have no guarantee that I will be able to leave.
“The lockdowns in Australia have devastated the entertainment industry. Many artists, including myself, have been denied social assistance.”
The Australian blocked
Rachael Marciniak, 44, lives in the UK.
Like around 30,000 Australians abroad, she wants to return home. But tight caps on quarantine hotels mean only a few hundred a week get that wish.
A quarantine site costs A $ 3,000 (£ 1,600; $ 2,200). Flights to Australia can cost several times that amount and are regularly canceled.
Anyone returning only temporarily must obtain an exemption to leave Australia again.
“My mother in Melbourne has been diagnosed with lung cancer. She is receiving palliative care and I need to come back to see her as soon as possible,” she says.
“It’s been a crazy roller coaster trying to get home. I just missed the September repatriation flights the Australian government is running with Qantas. I’m on a waiting list for last minute cancellations.
“I’ve been living in London since 2006, I’ve built my life here and have a young family. The last time I saw mum was in December 2017 when I introduced my first daughter to her. She didn’t meet my second child in person but Heartbreaking is an understatement.
“Even if I arrive in Australia then I will have to apply for an exemption so that I can return to my life and family in the UK. How can I leave my children here when there is no certainty that I can? come back to them?
“How can high profile figures enter Australia so easily when we sit here grabbing the slightest hope as an Australian citizen?
New parents in difficulty
Besides grief, one of the most common struggles we have heard about comes from new parents.
Mahtab Moalemi gave birth to twins prematurely thanks to a planned cesarean.
Since then, she has faced a “huge struggle” and longs for her mother, who lives in Tehran, the Iranian capital.
“I desperately want my own mother to be there to support and help me. She is fully vaccinated and I have requested three times that she be allowed into Australia for compassionate reasons, but each has been refused. .
“The impact was huge. I was unable to properly care for my newborn twins. And my breastfeeding journey ended prematurely, after having an anxiety attack following one. refusals of exemption.
“I’m back to work part-time and still struggle with work, life, housework and taking care of two babies. I have fallen into the deepest depression.
“My husband and I have a few friends in Perth, but not much support. I can’t go back to Iran because my husband is Australian. We are seriously considering moving to another country.”
The expatriate selling
Some have decided that is enough.
Marissa Parkin, an American citizen, and her husband, Ian, a British man, have just sold their Sydney home and are leaving Australia. They will spend time in the United States before starting a new life in Nottingham, England with their daughter Zadie.
“We are so, so sad. We have made a living here, we both have fantastic jobs, we have a beautiful house and our daughter was born here. We really never thought we would leave… but we did. haven’t seen our families for 18 months now.
“At first, I really understood. I understood that stopping the movement of people was what had to happen. But it dragged on, with no way out.
“Ultimately it comes down to family. Our daughter needs to know her grandparents. She thinks they live in a computer.
“It’s not at all spoiled for us how incredibly lucky we are to have options and to be mobile. We are grateful that we have the choice and we’ll take it, but it’s not without with a heavy heart. “
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