Health experts say a uniform response to COVID-19 outbreaks across Australia is 'critical' to protecting the nation, and that some states — including New South Wales — are allowing 'political factors' to influence their decisions on lockdowns.
Health experts say Australia's states should have a uniform response to dealing with COVID-19 outbreaks and are accusing some jurisdictions — including New South Wales — of prioritising politics over health.Experts want a national code of practice and standardised approach to outbreaks and quarantineAMA vice president Chris Moy says political factors have influenced NSW's outbreak strategy
"We've been bewildered and gobsmacked by the response in NSW, which has been clearly two or three steps behind in terms of reducing restrictions to allow their contact tracers to catch up," he said."The decision-makers have never pulled the levers hard enough … and now it's got away from them." But since Friday, residents in the eight Sydney local government areas of concern — Fairfield, Liverpool, Canterbury-Bankstown, Cumberland, Blacktown Parramatta, Campbelltown, Georges River — have been restricted to exercising and shopping within a 5km radius.Epidemiologist and Professor of International Health at the Burnet Institute, Michael Toole, said the differing pandemic responses of various states was confusing and problematic.
"It should be quite a detailed plan covering all the interventions. What kind of social distancing, limits on how far people can travel, masks — should they be both outdoors and indoors — what is an essential service, and should all non-essential retail close," he said."That would be good for business, [they] would know, OK, we've got two cases today, five the next day, we go into lockdown.
But he said without unity — and a national centre for disease control — Australia was losing its fight against COVID-19.
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