Empty embassies: Overseas diplomatic posts run virtually after 370 staff COVID-19 infections | niltiac
Australia is running some diplomatic posts entirely virtually, while more than 370 people working for the Department of Foreign Affairs have caught COVID-19 and one local contractor has died since the pandemic began.
The DFAT employee who died from COVID-19 was a contractor at the embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia - one of Australia’s largest diplomatic posts. The Indonesian mission has recorded more than 50 infections - one in five of DFAT’s total cases. “Maintaining effective operations at our overseas posts has required a range of innovative responses,” the spokesperson said. “This has included some posts operating virtually to ensure staff health and wellbeing or to adhere to local government COVID-19 restrictions.”The spokesperson declined to say how many posts were virtual and which ones, but some embassies state on their websites that services are limited to emergency consular assistance and passport applications.
“Our diplomats are working assiduously to compensate for a lack of presence with hyperactive Zoom diplomacy – but you have to eyeball people, you have press the flesh, share a drink or a meal – you can get away with not doing for a time but it has to be short-term,” he said.Labor’s spokeswoman on foreign affairs, Penny Wong, said the death of a staff member at an Australian post was a tragedy and Australia had a duty of care to ensure all staff at our posts were vaccinated.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Australia’s quarantine hotel rooms empty as India flight ban continuesMany of Australia’s quarantine facilities for returned overseas travellers are far from full as the Indian flight ban continues to leave thousands stranded.
Read more »
Australia’s quarantine hotel rooms empty as India flight ban continuesAustralia's Howard Springs quarantine facility is only at roughly a third of its capacity, as the Indian flight ban continues to leave thousands stranded. It's not the only facility far from full Auspol coronavirus India
Read more »
International student rooms in Victoria left empty | Sky News AustraliaMore than 2,000 brand new student rooms are sitting empty in Melbourne’s CBD and there is no indication they will be used to quarantine international students.\n\nThe concept has been spearheaded by New South Wales but industry leaders say they are disappointed it is not being pursued in Victoria. \n\nAustralia’s largest student accommodation provider Scape was supposed to open its brand-new Carlton facility in February.\n\nThe company offered its rooms to the Victorian government last year to help quarantine international students or even returning Australians but the idea did not receive traction.\n\nThe Victorian government instead wants to quarantine international students in an approved COVID hotel and the acting premier has asked the Commonwealth’s approval to bring students back under a weekly economic cohort. \n
Read more »
International student accommodations in Victoria left empty | Sky News AustraliaMore than 2,000 brand-new student accommodations are sitting empty in Melbourne's CBD with no indications they'll be used to help quarantine international students. \n \nThe concept has been spearheaded by New South Wales, but industry leaders say they're disappointed it's not being pursued in Victoria.\n\n\n
Read more »