Australia's covid-19 lifting lockdowns ｜Aquasky

At the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, Australia, located in the Asia-Pacific region, achieved good results during the period due to the strict response measures adopted by its government. It successfully controlled the local epidemic. Many people believe that the key to control lies in the early forced closure of the city, and the relevant supporting measures are properly matched. Under the condition that the public can maintain a basic quality of life, everything seems to be under control.

However, as time passes, the Covid-19 mutated at an alarming rate, and beyond the expectations of many public health experts. The epidemic entered its second year. Many countries that were regarded as models of epidemic prevention in the early stage have begun to experience a new round of epidemics. The original approach is no longer enough to withstand the impact of the mutant virus, and Australia is one of them.

Let’s review how Australia controlled the epidemic at the preliminary stage. The Australian government had adopted the strictest border control policy. In the Delta outbreak in India 2021, it even temporarily banned its citizens from returning from India. This policy is a difficult and homeless situation for Australian citizens who are deeply affected by the severe epidemic area. In Australia, even if there was only one confirmed case, a city closure strategy was adopted to prevent the spread of the epidemic.

However, since May 2021, Australia had also experienced multiple outbreaks of large-scale epidemics and had also taken relevant measures to close the city. It had indeed achieved good results in preventing the spread of the virus. But the part on vaccine promotion was unsatisfactory. Vaccines were considered the most effective way to fight the epidemic at any stage. Vaccines played an important role in restarting the economy and trading. Therefore, the vaccination rate had become a new indicator. The Australian government had also begun to strengthen the promotion of vaccine administration to prepare for the next lifting.

At the end of October, the Australian government announced that because of the gradual increase in the country's vaccine application rate, it would gradually loosen relevant epidemic prevention measures and border bans. It was worth noting that the open complete vaccination of the COVID-19 vaccine was currently limited to the four vaccines of Pfizer BNT, AZ, Modena, and Johnson & Johnson.

In December, the plan to open entry to visa travelers such as technical specialists, international students, and the working holiday was put off due to the rapid increase in cases of Omicron around the world. There were currently five known cases of Omicron in Australia. Its Minister of Health also said that the delay in opening the border was out of prudent consideration, and on the other hand, it was also to observe the impact of the new mutant strain.

It was not known whether the current Omicron variant virus would affect the further opening of Australia, but the labor shortage caused by the border closure was expected to be alleviated by the new wave of opening up.

---

This article is just for sharing. Please advise removing immediately if any infringement is caused.