The CHO's talk of achieving 'the lowest possible' number of cases has sparked concern that Victoria may be pushing for the impossible
Experts warn Australia will never be able to pursue an elimination strategy, as Victoria's residents anxiously watch daily infection numbers gradually decline and wait to hear the plan for lifting the strict stage-four lockdown.
accuse Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews of presiding over a"health dictatorship" by putting five million Melburnians under"house arrest"Mr Andrews, who will announce his plan for a path out of stage four lockdown on Sunday, has warned against easing restrictions "too quick[ly] ... chasing something that might be popular for a few weeks" and vowed to "find a COVID normal" with rules that can be locked in "for months".
He noted the resurgence of COVID-19 in New Zealand, which had declared the virus "effectively eliminated" in April only to suffer a hotel quarantine breach in Auckland a month later, sparking an ongoing outbreak with 94 of the nation's 129 current active cases acquired in the community. Asked if one mystery case per day would be "tolerable", Dr Sutton said the daily average was not the relevant measure as there could be "a significant number that you can't track down in a short period of time".
"The exact balance of social and economic benefits from achieving elimination now is unclear, as we are getting closer to a vaccine," Professor Blakely said.
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.
Expert's harsh prediction for VictoriaOne of Australia's epidemiologists says Australia should look to South Korea as an example of how our so-called “tight suppression” strategy could play out. Latest COVID19 updates here:
Read more »
Premier announces separate roadmap to get regional Victoria out of lockdownRegional Victoria will be allowed to ease coronavirus restrictions faster than metropolitan Melbourne, with Premier Daniel Andrews confirming he will announce two separate roadmaps to reopening the state's economy.
Read more »
Reading buddies help bridge gap during school shutdownsStormii has struggled with reading for some time. This year, her confidence has soared thanks to a peer-to-peer program.
Read more »
Victorian recovery must reconsolidate pandemic responseEditorial: Victoria's road map out of lockdown, to be revealed on Sunday, may also create a pathway back to a more unified political response to fighting COVID-19
Read more »
Plan that could see Melbourne exit lockdown faster – but there’s a catchWith clarity still lacking on how or even exactly when Melbourne will emerge from stage 4 restrictions, one suggestion gaining traction is to ring-fence individual suburbs while the rest of the city goes back to something approaching normality.
Read more »
How Victoria can leave lockdown, safely, and avoid a returnAfter so much sacrifice, Victorians don’t want to move into stage three and find ourselves in the same situation as Sydney, where health authorities have been putting out spot fires for the past two months | OPINION
Read more »