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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to ask if I live in one of the most restricted nations on earth - Covid related *title edited by MNHQ*

135 replies

FreedomforWA · 21/01/2022 08:07

NC as this is outing. AIBU to think that I live in the most restricted nation in the world (well, maybe after North Korea)?

So, I’m a Brit living in Perth, Western Australia (WA). I think it is widely known that Australia basically closed to everyone at the start of the pandemic leaving tens of thousands of citizens and residents overseas. Towards the end of 2021, the individual states all started to open allowing quarantine free travel to approved vaccinated travellers. Except WA. We have continued to live with closed borders – both internal to other states and international (we can leave but due to stringent caps and hotel quarantine, it is almost impossible to return). Our state Premier announced prior to Christmas that the state would open on Feb 5th. Thousands made plans to reunite with family, return home etc. Last night he performed a u-turn and our border is staying shut due to the threat of Omicron. He has not set a future date so we are all essentially in limbo. The rest of Australia is now learning to live with covid and can travel freely. WA has only had around 1400 cases of Covid since the pandemic began with 9 deaths. We have had a few short lockdowns. Whilst I appreciate that this is excellent, striving for zero covid is not a strategy the Premier can keep up with forever. He is delaying the inevitable.

We have an 89% fully vaxxed rate in the over 12s (96% single vaxxed) but this is apparently not good enough, despite being one of the highest rates in the world. We have a mask mandate that covers any indoor premise that isn’t a private residence.

75% of our work force has been mandated to get the vaccine. This is everyone from health care workers and police to supermarket workers and builders – the list is pretty much endless. As you can imagine, there has been a lot of discontent regarding this.

The rules state that as of 31st Jan, we have to show a vaccine certificate to attend – off licenses, restaurants, bars, zoo, theatres museums, hospitals (as a visitor), sporting stadiums, arenas, casino, play centres, gyms, night clubs, music venues and cinemas. I’m pretty sure it won’t stop there. The unvaxxed soon won’t have anywhere to go. Despite being pro-vax and being triple vaxxed myself, I believe that this has gone too far.

This is a state with a significant number of expats. Many of us haven’t seen family for 2-3 years now. I know people will just say that we should leave but it isn’t easy to just leave when we have jobs, lives, homes and mortgages here.

I would love to hear outsider (or fellow WA residents) thoughts on the restrictions we are living with.

OP posts:
Original poster
FreedomforWA · 21/01/2022 10:04

@Kiwiinparis – yes, NZ has been super isolated too. I think it is the not knowing when we will open which is the hard part.

@OperationRinka Covid will take off here when we open but what else are we waiting for? Covid isn’t going away. We can’t stay shut forever. We have a 89% double dose rate – if we wait much longer, immunity will be waning. I’m pretty sure once we open, whenever that is, restrictions will be put in place. We get a mask mandate every time we have a single case.

@Migrainesbythedozen – but QLD couldn’t stay shut forever and neither can any other state. Covid will never go away. It is here to stay in one variant or another. Palachook stayed closed long enough to get vax rates up.

@echt I do clearly understand the division of state and federal thank you. I think you are clearly missing the tone of my post.

@MananaTomorrow – I never stated that it felt like a totalitarian state, that was another poster. I am pointing out the restrictions that we are being forced to live with. I have been reading that approx 10% of NHS staff are unhappy with the vax mandate. Well here, 75% of everyone working is mandated to get the vaccine. Whilst I’m pro vax, I feel that this is a breach of government power.

@Kokeshi123 – I know. Don’t get me wrong as clearly nobody wants to have covid but we are going to have to live with it at some point so why not now….I know of a few people who are hoping for that cluster to grow.

OP posts:
Drywhitefruitycidergin · 21/01/2022 10:06

It's a difficult one. I've got family in WA who were due to travel to UK summer 2020 for the first time in about 10 years and now have no idea when they will be able to rearrange. My aunt is desperate to get over to see her grandkids and that seems further and further away.
I also fear that you can't stay closed forever & at some point you will be hit with a massive wave, vaccination immunity will have waned, no natural immunity.

Otoh - compared to UK you've been so free/normal life for the last 2 years - no homeschool, cancelling of kids activities etc. 9 deaths vs 175000. It's not all bad....

nojudgementhere · 21/01/2022 10:07

@LakieLady - Sadly it sounds like they can't do anything 'freely' within the state or elsewhere at the moment. Coercing people to have vaccines in order to work/partake in society and banning them from leaving a designated area is not freedom in my opinion.

shiningcuckoo · 21/01/2022 10:08

Oh and I don't think that the handling of the Novak Djokovic thing is at all embarrassing. It would have been more embarrassing to let him in when others in a similar position would have been refused entry. Aus sees itself a the lucky country because there is this belief that everyone gets a fair shot. Whilst clearly this isn't true, allowing Djokovic in would have been in blatant of the rules that have set for everyone and so depriving others of that fair shot. It's not about him being a vocal anti vaxxer, rather it's about him trying to side step a requirement on the basis of his status and the Aussies going 'no way mate. You're not special"

MarshaBradyo · 21/01/2022 10:08

I haven’t rtft but it’s interesting as my family is in another previously zero Covid state that has opened up.

It’s a bit bumpy but they should be more free to travel than before

whatsthpoint · 21/01/2022 10:09

You all need to get vaccinated! And then think about who you vote for in the next election.

Anotherdayanotheropinon · 21/01/2022 10:10

You need to get a grip @FreedomforWA

Clearly someone who doesn’t have a clue about what living in an actual restricted nation is like - typical overprivileged western view.

Asking you honestly here - would you prefer to live in Afghanistan? Would you genuinely move there as it’s less restrictive than Australia? I mean if you’re living in the most restricted nation in the world after North Korea then those places must be far better options for you?

Original poster
FreedomforWA · 21/01/2022 10:10

Exactly @eurochick

The relative freedoms we have had over the past 2 years aren't lost on me @Drywhitefruitycidergin. I fully understand that we have been incredibly lucky. However, I haven't seem any family for over 2 years and my mental health is declining. I know this sounds selfish but I know of a lot of others who feel the same as I do. I have had close family go through difficult medical diagnoses and treatment. We have been dangled a carrot of a date and it has now been taken away. What are we waiting for? We have had 2 years to prepare.

OP posts:
MarshaBradyo · 21/01/2022 10:12

Do you have a new date?

I don’t know what is meant to change for you to open up

DifficultBloodyWoman · 21/01/2022 10:12

I live (elsewhere) in Aus and I am ready for all borders (domestic and international) to be open.

I recognize that quarantining the rest of the world was initially effective but that was prior to vaccination.

Australia cannot live in isolation forever.

We need an end date. And possibly a change of government.

whatsthpoint · 21/01/2022 10:18

@Migrainesbythedozen

I am in Queensland and envy you. Our Premier backed down and opened the borders - BAD DECISION. My fucken oath was it a baaaddddd decision!! In the small rural community I live in there has already been 300 cases. Before the borders opened? Not one single case in the entire pandemic. I want Qld to slam shut again and close the borders for good - for the foreseeable future. If I may be honest I think you're being ungrateful and I would trade places with you in 2 seconds. We may be the 'most restricted' nation (or state regarding WA), but we are the most sensible nation. If the UK and US followed Australia, they wouldn't have such the disastrous fatalities they do now. So, #proudly a resident of the most restricted nation on earth, and long may it be that way! Get McGowan to talk to Annastacia and get her to do the same.
What a typical QLD reaction
MarshaBradyo · 21/01/2022 10:21

@Migrainesbythedozen

I am in Queensland and envy you. Our Premier backed down and opened the borders - BAD DECISION. My fucken oath was it a baaaddddd decision!! In the small rural community I live in there has already been 300 cases. Before the borders opened? Not one single case in the entire pandemic. I want Qld to slam shut again and close the borders for good - for the foreseeable future. If I may be honest I think you're being ungrateful and I would trade places with you in 2 seconds. We may be the 'most restricted' nation (or state regarding WA), but we are the most sensible nation. If the UK and US followed Australia, they wouldn't have such the disastrous fatalities they do now. So, #proudly a resident of the most restricted nation on earth, and long may it be that way! Get McGowan to talk to Annastacia and get her to do the same.
For fairly obvious reasons what was possible for QLD wasn’t for U.K. and US.

You won’t get rid of it now anyway even if you do slam shut borders again.

Lilifer · 21/01/2022 10:24

@Lacaola

YANBU. I have been horrified at the scenes coming out of Australia and the totalitarianism and cruelty that has been enforced. I am sorry you are going through this. It has made me not want to visit, ever.
Same here. I dont ever want to visit Australia now because of the way they have treated their citizens during the pandemic
Sheabutterisdelish · 21/01/2022 10:30

Migrainesbythedozen

I am in Queensland and envy you. Our Premier backed down and opened the borders - BAD DECISION. My fucken oath was it a baaaddddd decision!! In the small rural community I live in there has already been 300 cases. Before the borders opened? Not one single case in the entire pandemic. I want Qld to slam shut again and close the borders for good - for the foreseeable future. If I may be honest I think you're being ungrateful and I would trade places with you in 2 seconds. We may be the 'most restricted' nation (or state regarding WA), but we are the most sensible nation. If the UK and US followed Australia, they wouldn't have such the disastrous fatalities they do now
So, #proudly a resident of the most restricted nation on earth, and long may it be that way! Get McGowan to talk to Annastacia and get her to do the same.

That's just nuts, you have to face up to it at some point

nojudgementhere · 21/01/2022 10:35

@Anotherdayanotheropinon

You need to get a grip *@FreedomforWA*

Clearly someone who doesn’t have a clue about what living in an actual restricted nation is like - typical overprivileged western view.

Asking you honestly here - would you prefer to live in Afghanistan? Would you genuinely move there as it’s less restrictive than Australia? I mean if you’re living in the most restricted nation in the world after North Korea then those places must be far better options for you?

You're all heart aren't you?! Just because you're happy being oppressed doesn't mean everyone has to be. Also, just because things aren't as bad as Afghanistan doesn't make it OK. It's not a race to the bottom you know?

@FreedomforWA - you are not being selfish to feel a need to see your family. Connection with the people we love is fundamental to our happiness and survival as human beings and nobody should have the right to take that away from you. I hope things improve very soon.

Anotherdayanotheropinon · 21/01/2022 10:37

@nojudgementhere 😂😂😂 So I’m happy to be oppressed because I have a sense of perspective and realise OP is not living in the most restrictive place in the world except maybe bar North Korea!!!!

Lilifer · 21/01/2022 10:39

Yes reading some of the other posts on here it seems we must all be slavishly grateful that as bad as we might have it we are not Afghanistan or North Korea. Whoopee for that. Bet OP feels so much happier now realising that other countries have it worse. Not. What has the world come to when we have people telling us that we should be happy because we've only lost some of our freedoms and not all of them?!

FreshHeaven · 21/01/2022 10:41

They are going to have to get on with it at some point.

FreshHeaven · 21/01/2022 10:44

Saying op should simply be grateful they didn't live in Afghanistan is not a sensible argument, despite it getting in a cheap privilege point.

FreshHeaven · 21/01/2022 10:45

Vaccination makes opening up with restrictions possible.
Otherwise where IS the end point?

Blinkingbatshit · 21/01/2022 10:47

Thing is Covid will be around forever now - it’s not going to just disappear. Actually, with omicron, which is significantly milder for most, then this is probably the best moment to just get on with it. They are going to have to eventually.

Ginandplatonic · 21/01/2022 10:47

@Lilifer Same here. I dont ever want to visit Australia now because of the way they have treated their citizens during the pandemic

FFS what on earth do you people think went on here that was so vastly different from the UK?? Come or don’t come I don’t care but trust me we don’t need or want your weirdly patronising “sympathy”.

Blinkingbatshit · 21/01/2022 10:49

And I don’t think comparing the stats of the 2 nations is helpful either - headcount per meter in OZ is teeny tiny compared to mega numbers who live on this island….higher population density in a pandemic was always going to mean we’d come off worse🤷🏼‍♀️

stuckdownahole · 21/01/2022 10:51

It depends on your situation, surely?

If you can move and associate freely in your own state, then for the majority this will be make the travel restrictions more palatable. People in the UK were literally told not to meet their family members, for months, and then not to touch or hug them. In Paris, you could only walk around your local area and had to carry a permit with you as police patrolled the streets.

To me, that sounds more like a dystopian / wartime scenario than not being able to travel outside the state. But, if you are separated from loved ones who live in different states, I guess you might feel otherwise.

Lilifer · 21/01/2022 10:51

[quote Ginandplatonic]@Lilifer Same here. I dont ever want to visit Australia now because of the way they have treated their citizens during the pandemic

FFS what on earth do you people think went on here that was so vastly different from the UK?? Come or don’t come I don’t care but trust me we don’t need or want your weirdly patronising “sympathy”.[/quote]
Well you certainly have my sympathies @Ginandplatonic but not for any reasons to do with the lockdowns. 😊

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