Pilgrims did Australia stop all incoming and outgoing air travel? or any other types of transportation that came from other countries or even from city to city within Australia?
Both Australia and New Zealand -being island countries - have a natural advantage in quarantine matters, particularly useful in a pandemic.
Initially, my own state NSW stuffed up in regard to cruise ships, which brought with it our first wave of the virus.
Lesson learnt. All arrivals by both sea and air had to go into hotel quarantine for two weeks -which has been successful in NSW.
This is where Victoria stuffed up. The quarantine in that state was run by private security firms -who had no training in pandemic health matters. The virus quickly spread into the community- and was a major concern in nursing (care) homes where it was introduced by both visitors and workers - and, like Canada, many elderly vulnerable citizens lost their lives..
Flights have drastically been reduced - and there are still many Australian citizens trying to get home for Christmas. It's expensive - fewer flights, more the airlines can charge. Also, two weeks hotel quarantine costs incoming travellers even more expense.
Still, the federal government hopes to allow 30,000 more arrivals by Christmas.
Internally, it's more relaxed, but I still can't see my family in Queensland.
Have the restrictions been worth it?
When I observe what's happening with the virus in the rest of the world, a resounding yes.
Has there been hardships due to the restrictions? Of course there has.
Freedom is a concept that I believe is often misunderstood. We love the sound of it -but the reality is that none of us - even Donald Trump - can be free to do just what they want whenever they want.
I enjoy many freedoms - but I'm aware many of my fellow citizens are facing the grim freedom of being free to lose their jobs, free to lose their accommodation, free to lose their mental and physical health and free to lose their lives in relation to his pandemic.