Abstract
Given its intensity, rapid spread, geographic reach and multiple waves of infections, the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020/21 became a major global disruptor with a truly cross-sectoral impact, surpassing even the 1918/19 influenza epidemic. Public health measures designed to contain the spread of the disease saw the cessation of international travel as well as the establishment of border closures between and within countries. The social and economic impact was considerable. This paper examines the effects of the public health measures of “ring-fencing” and of prolonged closures of the state border between New South Wales and Victoria (Australia), placing the events of 2020/21 into the context of the historic and contemporary trajectories of the border between the two states. It shows that while border closures as public-health measures had occurred in the past, their social and economic impact had been comparatively negligible due to low cross-border community integration. Concerted efforts since the mid-1970s have led to effective and close integration of employment and services, with over a quarter of the resident population of the two border towns commuting daily across the state lines. As a result, border closures and state-based lockdown directives caused significant social disruption and considerable economic cost to families and the community as a whole. One of the lessons of the 2020/21 pandemic will be to either re-evaluate the wisdom of a close social and economic integration of border communities, which would be a backwards step, or to future-proof these communities by developing strategies, effectively public health management plans, to avoid a repeat when the next pandemic strikes.
Highlights
Soon after its existence became public in late January 2020, COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 [1], rapidly developed into a pandemic in the globally interconnected world of business and leisure travel [2]
Library ofgovernments; Australia [28]historic and legislation andstatistical regulations as promulgated and state and current data promulgated by colonial and state governments; historic and current statistical data were obtained from published census publications as well as data sets provided by the were obtained fromofpublished publications as well as data setspublications provided byprothe
The discussion of the impact impact of the border closure during the COVID-19 pandemic is augmented by lived exof the border closure during the COVID-19 pandemic is augmented by lived experience perience observations, both personal and by fellow residents, by virtue of the author livobservations, both personal and by fellow residents, by virtue of the author living in the ing in the border area under discussion
Summary
Soon after its existence became public in late January 2020, COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 [1], rapidly developed into a pandemic in the globally interconnected world of business and leisure travel [2]. Using the cross-border community of Albury (New South Wales, Australia) and Wodonga (Victoria) as a case in point, this paper will focus on the social and community impacts of the public health measures of “ring-fencing”[22] and the prolonged 2020 and the shorter 2021 closure of the state border between New South Wales and Victoria. It will place the events of 2020/21 into the context of the historic and contemporary trajectories of the border between the colonies (later states), focussing on the impact of the border on inter-community communications and commerce. Unilaterally closed as part of COVID-19 public health measures
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