Section 3. Essay Questions (2 Questions, 60 points): Q7. Australia was one of few countries to pursue a zero-COVID "suppression" strategy until late 2021, meaning it aimed to minimise domestic community transmission. Implementation involved strict controls on international arrivals and responding to local outbreaks with lockdowns and exhaustive contact tracing of domestic COVID-19 clusters. Australian borders were closed to all non-residents on 20 March 2020, and returning residents were required to spend two weeks in supervised quarantine hotels from 27 March 2020. Finally on 21 February 2022 border restrictions were removed for all vaccinated people, including non- citizens such as tourists and new immigrants, effectively opening Australia up to the world. As a result of these government responses, there has not been any immigration into Australia from other countries whether they are skilled workforce from the developed world or the unskilled workers from the developing world. In this essay question, ignoring the other labour market impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, using your critical thinking skills briefly assess the potential impacts of the Australian border closure on the labour market outcomes of the native workforce according to the theoretical models of immigration studied in this unit. (30 points) Q8. Mask wearing is one of the tools to reduce the spread of Covid-19. The policy on mask wearing for children, however, is controversial and varies a great deal across countries. In light of the article "The Case Against Masks at School" dated 27 January 2022 on The Atlantic and your own research, briefly discuss the likely costs and benefits of enforcing mask wearing on children in school. In your opinion, what mask policy (e.g. mandatory mask wearing, recommended mask wearing, or no requirement) should Australian schools adopt? Please back up your answers with specific statistics/relevant examples where possible. Note: This is an open-ended question, and you are expected to conduct some research and apply the cost-benefit principle in your discussion. Reference Smelkinson, M., Bienen L. and N. Jeanne (2022, January 27). The Case Against Masks at School. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/01/kids-masks-schools- weak-science/621133/