The Australian government wants Kanye West to know that he is not welcomed unless he gets vaccinated. The mega-star rapper is set to tour the “Land Down Under” in March 2022 but might be deterred based on the country’s health regulations.
According to the Independent, the Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison made the nation’s stance clear on Saturday, Jan. 29 — if the chart-topper doesn’t get his shots, the tour will be stopped.
Morrison said, “It doesn’t matter who you are, they are the rules. Follow the rules – you can come. You don’t follow the rules, you can’t.”
Australians are serious about the COVID-19 rules and like other countries are trying to take control of the virus that caused a global shutdown, hospitalized millions, and claimed the lives of 5.67 million since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, according to the Worldometer tracking model. Aussies have one of the lowest death rates in the world. Since 2020, only 3,632 people have died from the virus. Compare that to the 881,584 people that have died in the United States, the 79,934 that have died in California (where the artist lives), 63,910 that have died in New York (where he frequently visits), and the 34,439 that have died in Illinois (where the artist was raised).
So, committed to their health policy against letting unvaccinated people into the country, they canceled the visa of famed tennis star Novak Djokovic for not getting the shots.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Trade and Tourism Minister Dan Tehan previously commented on this. He said the decision to grant West a visa would depend on what Immigration Minister Alex Hawke suggested.
He said that Hawke will view Yeezy’s “application like he does for other visa applications”.
“I can assure everyone, all Australians, that it will be looked at in a diligent manner and like all of these applications, the applicant would have to adhere to Australian rules and application protocols for that to be approved,” he confirmed. “The Minister for Immigration will make a decision on this like he does on all visas and it will be very much done with the proper diligence and a decision taken which shows that he needs to apply in accordance to the rules, as it is for everyone. But I wouldn’t like to say anything more on this that in any way might prejudice his decision.”
While the politicians have spoken out, producers for this leg of Ye’s tour could have just gone to the Home Affairs Department’s website, a site created for those traveling to the country. It says, “If your vaccination certificate does not prove that you meet Australia’s definition of fully vaccinated, you cannot use it for leaving or entering Australia.”
