COVID-19 Response Later in Pandemic ‘Disproportionate to the Risk’: Qantas

Major airline Qantas has voiced concerns regarding the Australia government’s response to the latter stages of the pandemic, deeming it “disproportionate” to the risk as public sentiment shifted, variants weakened, and vaccination rates increased. In a submission to the Australian government’s COVID-19 response inquiry, the airline indicated it agreed with the response early in the pandemic given the virus was unknown. However, Qantas believes there were unintended consequences of applying the same measures later on. The government has received more than 2,000 submissions to its inquiry, which aims to identify lessons and improve Australia’s preparation for “future pandemics.” Qantas noted the response from governments around the world “varied substantially,” both across countries and within countries....