The knee-jerk reaction from most premiers at the “mere mention” of a new COVID-19 infection in another state drove Australians “up the wall” last year, but 2021 is proving to already be worse, says Sky News host Chris Smith.
Mr Smith said New South Wales has proven time and time again that an “almost fully functional economy” can be operated while dealing with the coronavirus.
“Clusters and hotspots have been smothered with a combination of lightning fast test results, a well-resourced contract tracing team … together with the identification of possible infected venues”.
Mr Smith said New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian “is entirely correct” in urging other state leaders to let her know before they plan on closing their borders.
After a recent spike in COVID-19 cases in NSW, a number of states were quick to put up hard-borders in a bid to stem the spread of the virus.
“These yo-yo borders ruin family holidays, give businesses headaches, and disrupt the wheels of commerce for no reason,” Mr Smith said.
“Australia’s ICU capabilities are enormous at the moment and can cope with any serious outbreaks”.
He also said New South Wales is the “engine room” of the Australian economy.
“New South Wales simply doesn’t have the luxury of pandemic shutdowns, like WA or some of the other states”.
