I'm married to an Australian. I returned to Australia from the UK in October.

This is my experience of what happened to me when I arrived in the country during COVID.

I think it will help people understand how criminally bad our government's response has been. (a thread).

On arrival, passengers were escorted from the plane by armed police.

We were allocated a government-mandated hotel, and told to wait in a holding area.

Once processed we were led to a coach. Members of the Australian army lined the route to make sure no one tried to escape.

Once at the hotel we were taken off the coach one by one

An Australian police officer escorted me to my room, telling me in no uncertain terms that if I left it in any unauthorised circumstances for the next two weeks, I would be spending up to two years in an Australian prison.

During the next two weeks I was fed three times a day in polystyrene and with plastic cutlery. Below are some examples of the food. It was fine, but there was no control or choice.

After about eight days I was tested for COVID.

This was mandatory, and the first time I’d seen another human since the quarantine started.

Even though I was negative, I was told I could leave only once my 14 days of isolation were over.

Having come from a world of masks, social distancing and constant wariness, walking out into Australian life in QLD was genuinely startling.

No one had masks on. Shops and restaurants were all open, and though people were being careful, it was like going back to pre COVID days.

Sure, Australia still has COVID cases, but when they do they are usually people still in quarantine, and when they're not, immediate, decisive action is taken by State Premiers to close the State borders in order to localise the infection - even when this is extremely unpopular.

Now, two months later, living in an Australia where life is pretty much back to normal, I watch my country from afar and get angrier and angrier.

Britain is an island nation, just like Australia. Just like COVID free New Zealand.

It's a massive advantage in a pandemic.

Britain had the chance to protect its citizens from this virus, by closing our borders at an early stage and putting anyone who entered the country into mandatory quarantine. Instead, we allowed thousands of people to enter the country with barely a question. It's still happening

Australia and New Zealand have show that decisive, positive action, however unpopular, is the way to beat this virus. Instead, our government prioritised avoiding international friction for business and the economy by keeping our borders open.

There's no one to blame for where we are now but Johnson & his government. He chose not to close our borders, he chose not to test & isolate those entering the country, he chose to continue to allow people to enter Britain without any idea how healthy they were after they arrived

The difference between the COVID safe life Australians enjoy and where we are in Britain is down to one thing.

Leadership.

That we had a PR man, interested only in personal optics, in charge at this time of crisis, will surely go down as one of our nation's greatest tragedies.