Sending home the British backpackers on their gap years is a positive, but very small first step. Now do the migrants, the H1-B-equivalents, and the refugees:
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has urged all foreign visitors and students to leave the country now as the coronavirus pandemic worsens.
Mr Morrison said that while those with essential skills – such as visiting doctors and nurses – will be encouraged to stay, everyone else should ‘make their way home’.
There were more than 1million people in Australia on visitor and student visas on December 31 – thought to include tens of thousands of UK and US tourists – though it is unclear how many remain in the country.
It is also unclear how visitors are expected to leave the country – with huge numbers of flights cancelled and ticket costs for the remaining seats spiralling.
Never forget, the Open Society is a disease-ridden society living day-to-day on the edge of catastrophe.