INTERNATIONAL: Australian health system is on the verge of collapse, so Prime Minister Scott Morrison government is forced to make a "desperate" move - to call for help from so-called backpackers.
Australia throws out an invitation to backpackers on Wednesday, 19 January, seeking reinforcements for a workforce crippled by an Omicron COVID-19 outbreak as the country's health system creaks under the pandemic's strain with more deaths predicted in weeks ahead.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison's government has sent a call to backpackers, because the Australian health system is on the verge of collapse, and the number of dead is only growing under the onslaught of omicron strains of coronavirus.
Mr. Morrison has a plan not to charge backpackers a visa application in exchange for getting involved in any way in the fight against COVID during "cruises" through the country, but also in other sectors that have been decimated due to the omicron strain.
Australian premier has said his government was waiving the $453 visa application fee for any backpacker or student who arrives in Australia within the next 12 weeks, and has encouraged them to see work as they tour the country. The call for backpackers comes as Morrison faces criticism at the beginning of an election year over his handling of an outbreak of the Omicron COVID-19 variant that has seen record numbers of new infections and deaths.
According to many, this desperate move comes in an election year when the Morrison government is facing huge criticism for failing to bring the pandemic under control, despite the most rigorous measures whose victim was Novak Djokovic.
But the paradox is, that Morrison sent the invitation on the same day when the American Center for Disease Control, the famous CDC, has announced in its American media that 22 countries are on the list of very risky for Americans when it comes to traveling there. Australia is on that list as well.
Officials have reported 67 new deaths and nearly 80,000 new cases by midday on Wednesday, with Western Australia to report daily figures.
Australian businesses are grappling with the growing toll of workers out sick or ordered to isolate as close contacts. The labor crunch has created supply shortages, leading major grocers to reinstate purchase limits on essentials, and is hampering the country's economic recovery.
Another criticism of Prime Minister Morrison is that there are not enough home antigen tests or fast tests for COVID, while on the other hand, the prices of those on the market are jumping. This especially enraged people.
