@Helen427
Helen, the Bledisloe Cup was an entirely different scenario...participants were quarantined and all efforts were quite properly taken by the NZ government to make sure COVID-19 did not enter the country.
Australia did the same with the NRL allowing the entire NZ Warriors team, players, staff and families to relocate to Tamworth in NSW for the sake of keeping the competition in tact.
These were properly sanctioned, controlled and coordinated events.
The thing that makes me savage Helen.....and it's nothing against you, NZ and Australia have been amongst the best countries in the world at managing this pandemic. Employers are screaming out for staff here in my state! All the itinerant jobs that were done by foreign visitors no longer have foreign visitors to do them....fruit-picking, hospitality, labouring jobs, employees in some industries are virtually naming their employment price. The dole queues in this state are not great, just like NZ, both countries are fairly much back to business as usual. The current unemployment rate in South Oz is 7.8%! That means for every 8 people out of 100 who don't have a job......92 do! That's our hard work and good government planning on both sides of the ditch that has done that.
I desperately want to see the lifting of travel restrictions between not just us Helen but the entire South Pacific.
But, how do you think it looks to the authorities when a group of overseas visitors (17) had travel approval to visit NSW and NT, and on the very first day of the opening of our border to rank and file New Zealanders........they end up in Victoria!! The system got exploited on the very first day!
It's not what those visitors from NZ may have brought with them, it's what they might take away, Victoria is still classified as a hot-spot. We don't want to re-infect you over there, we are actually thinking of the ramifications of people leaving hot-spots!
Can you see what I am getting at Helen, if everyone just does the right thing we can get together again soon enough......But to watch Daniel Andrews face during a press conference when he was told 17 tourists from New Zealand had entered the Melbourne community, his shoulders slumped, he was lost for words, it was heartbreaking to see.
We need to set an example to the rest of the world, not show them how to rort the system. If we keep on following the example of day 1, it will be no time at all and both countries will be back in full lock-down again.....and neither you nor I want that!
Cheers........Rob