Melbourne – Australian health officials
said on Sunday they were cautiously optimistic about the slowing
spread of the coronavirus in the country, but warned social
distancing restrictions are to stay in place for months.
Confirmed cases rose by 139 during the 24-hour period to
Sunday afternoon, bringing the national total to 5,687, Chief
Medical Officer Brendan Murphy said. The death toll from
Covid-19, the respiratory disease caused by the virus, rose to
34.
This suggests the daily rate of infections was below 5%,
about a fifth of what Australia saw in mid-March.
"We are increasingly confident that if people continue to
adhere to what we've been asking them to do we can prevent a
situation like we've seen in many other countries in the world,"
Murphy said in a televised briefing.
Australia has barred people from leaving homes for anything
but the most necessary activities and limited public gatherings
to just two people. State borders, cafes, clubs, parks and gyms
have been closed.
Several states have also given police the power to enforce
the rules via hefty on-the-spot fines and potential jail terms.
Only on Saturday, Victoria's police issued 142 fines for
breaking social distancing rules, according to officials.
Health Minister Greg Hunt warned over the weekend, however,
that despite the good signs, Australians will still have to keep
their distance from others for a "difficult" six-month period.
"Some other countries or some other individuals may talk
about the fact that we could magically stop everything for two
weeks and it will all go away: that's not an honest assessment
in our view," Hunt said on Sky News Australia.
Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said on Sunday while there
has been some "wonderful success" in slowing coronavirus spread,
Australians "have a long way to go".
Nearly a third of Australia's deaths have been attributed to
a Carnival Corp's Ruby Princess cruise ship, which was last
month allowed to disembark passengers in Sydney, many of whom
later tested positive for Covid-19.
New South Wales Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said on
Sunday a criminal investigation will be launched into the case.
The South Pacific nation of Fiji recorded on Saturday five
new cases of coronavirus, bringing the total to 12, according to
the government.
In New Zealand, which was fast to introduce strict
restrictions that have ordered more people to stay home, trips
to retail and recreation facilities, such as restaurants, cafes
or shopping centres, were down 91 percent, according to Google.
New Zealand recorded 48 new cases on Sunday, bringing the
total to 872. One person has died so far of the flu-like
respiratory disease, according to the health ministry data.
Premier Jacinda Ardern said on Sunday that "going hard and
going early" seems to be working.
"While compliance has been generally strong, there are still
some I would charitably describe as idiots," Ardern said in a
televised briefing.