As Australia PM Defends Border Curbs, Experts' Warning On "Hermit Nation"

Australia Covid Restrictions: Australian Medical Association president Omar Khorshid on Tuesday warned: "Australia cannot keep its international borders closed indefinitely."

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison defended his "Fortress Australia" Covid-19 restrictions Tuesday, as experts warned that plans to keep the borders closed for another year will create a "hermit nation". "Everyone is keen to get back to a time that we once knew," the conservative leader said in the face of growing calls for international borders to reopen. "The reality is we're living this year in a pandemic that's worse than last year." Last March, Australia took the unprecedented step of closing its borders to foreign visitors and banning its globetrotting citizens from leaving.