Australia’s former deputy chief medical officer has challenged doctors to smash the “false idol” of COVID-19 eradication and prepare the public for the next critical phase of the pandemic: open international borders and the return of the virus in the community.

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“We once again have a responsibility as a profession to calmly reassure the community that vaccines must be taken up when they are offered, that waiting is not a valid option either individually or for the public health, and that ultimately when we allow COVID-19 back on our shores and it circulates in our community, that we are prepared and comfortable for that to happen,” said the infectious disease physician – one of the Commonwealth government’s most prominent public health spokespeople throughout 2020.

“I know that will make some, maybe most, in this room and online today uncomfortable.”
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Dr Coatsworth, in his speech on Thursday night, said Australians had to come to terms with the fact that Australia cannot ride out the COVID-19 pandemic “in an eliminationist bunker”.

“It is clear we will not have our borders closed indefinitely. We will not have quarantine stations in perpetuity whilst we aim for the false idol of eradication,” said Dr Coatsworth, speaking in a personal capacity.

“At a point in the future when a significant majority of our community is vaccinated, there will be pressure to open our borders. We must not resist that. In fact, when the time is right, we should be leading the calls for it.”

Dr Coatsworth, in his speech on Thursday night, said Australians had to come to terms with the fact that Australia cannot ride out the COVID-19 pandemic “in an eliminationist bunker”.

“It is clear we will not have our borders closed indefinitely. We will not have quarantine stations in perpetuity whilst we aim for the false idol of eradication,” said Dr Coatsworth, speaking in a personal capacity.

“At a point in the future when a significant majority of our community is vaccinated, there will be pressure to open our borders. We must not resist that. In fact, when the time is right, we should be leading the calls for it.”

Professor Sutton - who helped enact one of the world’s harshest lockdowns last year in Melbourne - told an audience late last month the time to reopen borders was once every adult had been offered a COVID vaccine.

“Then we really need to say, ‘look, we can’t sit on our hands here’,” he said in the private seminar.

“We all need to step up to get vaccinated, in order to open up Australia to world travel and arrivals so that our education sector, tourism sector, all other kinds of compassionate reasons for us to see family and friends overseas can come to the fore.”