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MELBOURNE: Australia’s three most populous states on Saturday (Nov. 14) recorded at least a week with no local transmissions of the new coronavirus, a good omen for the country’s recovery from the pandemic after an outbreak marred an impressive early response.
Victoria, the epicenter of the virus’ resurgence in recent months, recorded its 15th consecutive day with no new infections or related deaths, two weeks after the state emerged from one of the longest and tightest lockdowns in the world.
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The second most populous state deputy director of health, Allen Cheng, told a news conference that the streak of zero cases was “as good as can be.”
Neighboring New South Wales, the most populous state, saw seven days without local broadcasts, while Queensland has had no new community infections for two months. Both states saw a handful of new cases under managed quarantine among foreign travelers.
This latest data may mean that Australia can record its first week without local broadcasts since the start of the pandemic, as the rest of the country has not seen any cases for weeks or months.
The rapid closure of Australia’s borders and strict and financially costly measures prevented the pandemic from spreading greatly, but a resurgence in July in Victoria sent the state into a harsh 111-day lockdown that ended in late October.
Victorians must still wear masks and public gatherings are limited, but further relaxation is expected in a week. Western Australia, which had its borders closed to the rest of the country for seven months, reopened them on Saturday.
The country has seen just over 27,700 cases of new coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic, roughly the daily number of illnesses recorded in the UK in recent days. Australia has recorded 907 deaths from COVID-19.
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