The expert medical panel advising the national cabinet on the pandemic has drawn up a new definition of a COVID-free zone amid signs of hope in the tense border stand-off between Prime Minister Scott Morrison and state and territory leaders | ...
"We have cases which are concerning [and] we have unknown cases in the past that we're trying to chase as well. But if you look at the overall picture and what we're up to, there wouldn't be a reason why those borders should still be in place.
The Prime Minister said he wanted the Commonwealth definition of a hotspot - more than 30 locally acquired cases over three consecutive days in metropolitan areas, a figure that would mean Queensland's border would open to NSW - to be "the starting point" of negotiations. "Public Health measures will be determined by the jurisdiction experiencing community transmission. It is a recognition that the outbreak is not under control and requires strong public health measures for containment," it read.The ACT, which has not recorded a new case of COVID-19 for almost 10 weeks but is treated as a hotspot by the Queensland government, would meet the proposed definition of a "COVID-free zone".
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