Commenting on Your views: on keeping SA borders open

I have children in SA whom I haven’t seen for two years and it would be longer if the SA Government decided to close its borders again due to Omicron.

Let’s learn to live with COVID, get vaccinated so everyone can get on with their lives and stop being so selfish. – Helen Wilson

I am glad they have kept borders open. I am a border community member in the Riverland and live five kilometres the wrong side of the line and the idiotic rules we have had to endure for two years beggars belief.

We are not the divided states of Australia or at least we shouldn’t be, but that is what we have become. I care about all Australians and this should have been a national approach from the get go, with major cities and regional communities highlighted irrespective of the mystical line in the sand. We need to live with this and with high rates of double vaccination and boosters, how will our hospitals be overwhelmed? The media sensationalism and scare mongering has to stop. – Peter Rohrlach

At what point does SA start to participate in the national approach? WA has wanted to be independent for decades, so let them be. As an expat South Australian living in Melbourne, contributing to a national social security system through nine months of lockdown but not wanted in my home state to see visit my ageing parents is heartbreaking.

I’ve heard trolls say ‘expats should “just” move back if they want to come to SA so much’. It’s not that simple with employment in certain industries. Why can’t people in SA “just” wear a mask and practice safe hygiene and social distancing? There are immunocompromised people in every state, we have to learn to live with this virus eventually. – Andrea Jenke

Just get vaccinated and open the doors, can’t live under a rock forever. – Daryl Martin

We cannot hide from this disease. Cases will rise as more movement of the population continues. The important issues are more about the amount of hospitalisations and ICU patient, not the number of new infections.

We cannot stop this disease. Vaccinations are the only way forward, and people will need to get used to living with this issue. We cannot stay closed behind borders forever. – Darren Wall

Up until now I think Stephen Marshall has handled the pandemic well and kept South Australians safe by listening to our chief health advisor. Unfortunately he has ignored the latest advise to close our borders again with the latest developments. I believe this is more politically motivated with an election looming next year. – Rosalind Tucker

What I find interesting is that basically all the comments do not support the SA Govt handling of this border opening.

I cannot visit a family member in WA, who will now have her second Christmas on her own. We received our WA Police approval and then it was rescinded after Mr Marshall messed things up. I just don’t believe the Liberal Party has the intelligence or capacity to effectively manage these things. They are meant to serve SA for the better and they have proved to be unfit for that job.

I applaud the Chief Medical Officer for recommending border closure but she was a lone voice. She is a credit to SA. I will not support the re-election of the Liberal Party in March, having been a long term Liberal voter. – Greg Sowerby

Borders should have stayed shut until 90% vaccinated and definitely not opened until after the Xmas period. We have done everything asked of us, for what. Bad move Mr Marshall, you have lost my vote. – Patt Biggins

I think we should open our internal borders now. When did Australia become seven separate countries? This is not America. Our freedom does not belong to the government to give or take when they choose. – Joanne Waters

Yes we all come from different states, but aren’t we all first and foremost Australians? Maybe instead of complaining about borders opening and closing and lockdowns, we should be asking our government to send some of the millions of doses of vaccine we now have stockpiled to Africa, because until these nations are vaccinated there will be more strains of Covid in the future and they will get here no matter how many times we close our borders. – Margaret Lockett

When I was a police officer in SA 50 years ago I was always proud of the force’s motto: Salus populi suprema lex (the safety of the public is the supreme law).

I live in rural NSW now and think the Premier has got the right balance between safety and reality – a difficult road to tread. – Kevin Drummond

Commenting on the story: Variant’s threat to SA restrictions as quarantine numbers surge
I just wish our government would make a decision. Our daughter, son-in-law and three granddaughters live in Sydney and have flights and accommodation booked to come to SA on the 22nd of December.

They are all double vaccinated, but I’m worried if there is someone on their flight who tests positive they will all have to quarantine for seven days. They are only here for about 10 days. I don’t think that they should take the chance, but they are desperate to see family after over two years. – Dianne Duffy

Why have we still got any restrictions in place? I want to see our state and country opened up today, allowing free movement of all. Australia condemned apartheid in South Africa but is seemingly ok with it inside our own borders. Hypocrisy because of unfounded fear. – David Peter 

Commenting on the story: GPs refusing to see patients due to lack of COVID-19 ‘armour’

So two years after the pandemic began we still cannot provide sufficient PPE for medical professionals to feel safe? And what does the refusal of these medical professionals to see people with respiratory symptoms say about their confidence in the efficacy of the vaccines themselves? They are now all double-vaccinated (or they would not have a job). – Michael Lardelli