By Martin Cole-
The Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) is celebrating a massive drop in cases and is to reopen its border with neighbouring Victoria for the first time since July after coronavirus cases there fell to zero. State officials lifted the lockdown on Saturday – three days earlier than planned – after recording only three new cases on Friday. They said the lockdown order had been based on misinformation told by a man with Covid-19 about his link to a pizza shop
Victoria, which imposed a tough lockdown after a surge in cases, has reported no new infections since the beginning of November. A relaxation of its rules on wearing face masks is also to follow the recent relaxation of rules. Larger public gatherings will also be allowed, as will in-store shopping, with no need for masks to be worn. The news is brilliant for the resident of New South Wales, who can begin to Australia has recorded about 900 deaths and 28,000 infections in total.
Analysts say Australia is emerging as a world leader in disease suppression alongside like Singapore and South Korea. Widespread testing and aggressive contact tracing have been credited for the drop in daily infections nationwide, close to zero. The border between Victoria and NSW was closed in July after infections soared in Victoria’s state capital, Melbourne. Steps taken to control the virus includes the cancellation of flights between the city and the NSW capital Sydney – normally one of the world’s busiest routes – were cancelled.
The borders opened a minute after midnight on Monday with enthusiastic crowds greeting the first passengers from Victoria with free doughnuts while men raised “welcome back” signs.
Australia’s international borders have been shut since early March, as the pandemic raged, making it mandatory for all inbound travellers to spend two week in quarantine in designated hotels.
Flights between Melbourne and Sydney, as the authorities doubled down on lockdown measures for those crossing borders. Melbourne, a city of 5 million, saw a surge of more than 700 daily infections in July, contributing 90 per cent of the country’s Covid-related deaths.
The reopening of the borders will see air traffic between Melbourne and Sydney, one of the busiest routes in the world before the pandemic, with Sydney airport expecting nearly 4,000 passengers across 26 flights from Victoria on Monday.
Victoria’s leader Daniel Andrews hailed the achievement, saying it was “a testament to the character and the conviction and the amazing job that every single Victorian has done this year”. He also announced relaxations in the rules for wearing masks outdoors, while maintaining the need for proper social distancing.
Drastic Steps
Taking drastic steps to stop transmission to other areas, it introduced a “ring of steel” with severe stay-at-home rules and a curfew. Victoria’s Premier Daniel Andrews said they were “a testament to the character and the conviction and the amazing job that every single Victorian has done this year”.
Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton expressed confidence that community transmission was no longer occurring after 23 days of no new infections.
In New South Wales, Premier Gladys Berejiklian welcomed the reopening of the border with Victoria, saying she hoped it would never happen again.
“It will be a whole new era for both of our states,” she said.