Ashes: Boris Johnson and Scott Morrison about Travel Concerns
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has received a request from his UK counterpart, Boris Johnson, to review the travel ban on England cricketers’ families. Mr. Johnson has intervened personally to ensure that England’s Ashes tour of Australia goes ahead as planned.
On a diplomatic visit to the United States, the pair of Prime Ministers dined together in Washington DC when Johnson sought Morrison’s assurances about the Ashes tour due to begin in Brisbane in December. Reservations have been expressed by many England players regarding the stringent quarantine rules expected to be enforced during the tour.
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Johnson Weighs in
Boris Johnson said to media outlets in the US capital,
“I raised it [with Mr Morrison] and he said he was going to do his best for the families. He totally got the point that for cricketers it is very tough to ask people to be away from their families over Christmas. He merely undertook to come back and see if he could find a solution.”
Morrison Responds
Morrison responded by saying,
“I would love to see the Ashes go ahead, as I shared with Boris last night. But there’s no special deals there. I don’t see a great deal of difference in skilled workers or students, who will be able to come to Australia when you reach the vaccination rates.”
Australia to Allow International Travel After Meeting Vaccination Goals
Australia is expected to allow resumption of international travel when the country has at least 80% of its population above 16 years of age double vaccinated. That target is unlikely to be reached before the start of the Ashes. While players’ families could yet be allowed to fly with them, the mandatory 14-day period of isolation could make it unviable for many players’ families to join the tour. In an imminent development, New South Wales is reportedly testing a 7-day home quarantine protocol applicable to individuals who satisfy certain norms, though it may be too early to assume that the Ashes may benefit from the move.
Negotiations Underway to Resolve Impasse
Recently, extensive negotiations have been held between officials of the ECB and CA, with the boards trying to discover a viable resolution of the impasse that threatens to abort the tour. Currently, it appears likely that England could field a below-strength team or skip the series, owing to the federal nature of Australia’s government structure, with each state having different quarantine measures in place, thereby ensuring that free movement around the country is hampered.