Perth, Australia (AP) — Australia’s west coast may appear to avoid COVID-19 almost entirely.

Maskless nightlife flourishes and crowds at sporting events, including 53,000 rugby fans packed into Perth Stadium to watch New Zealand’s All Blacks beat Australian wallabies on a sunny Sunday. Are gathered.

“We are in paradise,” said Andrea Williams, one of the fans in the area.

While the cities of Sydney and Melbourne in the east have been severely blocked by a surge in virus cases, Perth, the capital of Western Australia, remains largely open behind closed borders.

However, the enjoyment that many enjoy in the West may have the feeling that a lifestyle without COVID is nearing its end.

States with virtually no COVID, such as Western Australia and Queensland, are facing increasing pressure to open their borders, and the government argues that intra-border restrictions hinder the national economy. ..

Industry groups complain that the closure of borders has created a serious shortage of labor and supply, hindering trade, inflating construction costs and constraining business opportunities. Damage to corporate profits also leads to fewer federal tax audits.

However, because Australia is one of the lowest immunization rates in the wealthy country, resumption could mean an unwelcome restriction due to the surge in COVID-19 cases in the west.

At Perth Stadium, bottles of disinfectant were one of the few that reminded us of the Delta variant, which is overtaking eastern Australia and most of the world.

Williams said she was due to a border closure, even if that meant she couldn’t be with her daughter in Sydney and Auckland, New Zealand.

“Of course I want to end this, but I don’t think it should be released immediately,” she said.

The federal government is impatient to end policies such as strict border regulations that have significantly blocked COVID-19 since March 2020. However, the vaccination goal of opening the border (80% over 16 years old) remains elusive, with 40% fully vaccinated. ..

And since that goal was set in July, infections have skyrocketed and discussions about resumption have been clouded.

In mid-June, an unvaccinated limousine driver tested positive on Delta after being infected while transporting a US cargo aircraft crew from Sydney Airport. Since then, more than 30,000 infections have been recorded in Australia’s two most populous states, New South Wales and Victoria, which make up half of Australia’s population. Daily infections are increasing, from a handful to over 1,500.

Western Australia’s Prime Minister Mark Magawan said his state is likely to lag months behind other countries in opening its borders.

“Why do they have this mission to bring COVID to Western Australia and infect our people?” Magawan asked, referring to the federal government.

“The deliberate invasion of the virus means that hundreds of people must be killed, regional freedoms regained, restrictions introduced, and most of the economy shut down,” he adds. I did.

The federal government responds with dissatisfaction, saying it bears much of the financial burden of supporting businesses in areas such as tourism that are at risk of failure without interstate highway travelers. bottom.

“Every other country in the world is learning to live with COVID, and there seems to be a real denial in Queensland and Western Australia that we need to do that,” said the Federal Treasury Secretary. Josh Frydenberg said.

Many Westerners say they are doing things as well as they do now.

West Coast coffee shop owner Sergio Guazzelli has withstood three state-ordered blockages for a total of only 12 days. By comparison, Melbourne had a blockade of more than 220 days.

Guazelli said his business in Fremantle, a port city around Perth, is a “flat out” because the locals enjoy freedom.

“People are going out more because of what’s happening in Sydney and Melbourne. They want to enjoy life because they don’t know what’s ahead,” Guazelli said.

Western Australia is dissatisfied with the annoyance of border restrictions, such as not being able to see family elsewhere, but the premier pandemic response has set a record for Australian politics in the state. Has earned a reputation and celebrity status.

Some supporters even got a tattoo of the image of Magawan. His appeal is especially strong for young people, many of whom enjoy the lively bar and nightclub scenes.

“I feel lucky to be able to live my life because I need to feel sorry for young people in other parts of the world who have missed nightlife,” said Sean, a 23-year-old college student. McDonald’s said.

Lack of concern about the virus in Western Australia is reflected in the country’s lowest vaccination rate of 36.3%, followed by Cloncurry at 36.4%. The national vaccination rate is 40.4%.

Western Australia and Queensland have accused the federal government of delaying deployment as it failed to provide more vaccines early.

The federal government dismissed a millionaire’s objection to the legality of Western Australia’s border restrictions last year by the State High Court, but now that the vaccine is available, the state responds to a second objection. Warned that he might not be so lucky.

However, the federal government does not mention options to pass legislation that invalidates border control in Western Australia and other states.

Constitutional lawyer George Williams does not want to take action because the government will face reelection by May and will need to vote in Western Australia.

Persian doctor Omar Khorshid, national president of the Australian Medical Association, said keeping the state border closed was popular among many of his patients. But they need to understand that it is impossible to eliminate Delta, he said.

“It’s important for us to be ready, as it comes to Western Australia like any other part of the country,” he said.

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McGuirk reported from Canberra, Australia.