The Australian state at the center of the country’s second wave COVID-19 outbreak is expanding its contact tracing to try to maintain a steady decline in daily new cases, amid criticism of its handling of the crisis.
Victoria state, home to one-quarter of Australia’s 25 million people, recorded 55 new COVID-19 cases in the 24 hours to yesterday morning. That was up from the previous day’s 41 new cases, but far below a record daily increase of 725 a month ago.
The Victoria outbreak — which accounts for about 75 percent of Australia’s 26,374 cases and 90 percent of its 770 deaths — has brought the most visible rift between a state government and Australia’s federal government over the country’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has included an emergency Cabinet of leaders from both levels of government.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews reintroduced tough movement restrictions in the state capital Melbourne early last month, including a nightly curfew, as most other states and territories relaxed lockdown measures.
The Victoria measures, originally due to end at the weekend, were extended until Sept. 28, although with some small changes that eased some aspects of the restrictions.
Australian Minister of Health Greg Hunt told radio station 3AW yesterday that Victoria might have avoided a second wave and been able to ease restrictions sooner if its virus-tracing system was more like that of New South Wales.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has warned of the cost of the Melbourne lockdown to the national economy.
Andrews, while not directly accepting criticism, on Monday said that he would set up five “suburban” contact tracing teams specializing in geographic parts of the state, which would make it easier to target specific locations where people had been infected.
He said that he would also send representatives to larger New South Wales, which has kept its daily new infection rate below 22 since April, to observe practices there “to double and triple-check that there’s nothing that might be changed, or any insights, any experience.”
Yesterday’s daily case figures showed Victoria was on the right track, Andrews said.
“I know those rules are not easy,” Andrews said in a televised news conference.
“I think they’ll be able to take some significant steps soon, because the trend is with us, the trend is good,” he added, referring to Victorians living in regional areas who are also under tough restrictions.
Neighboring New South Wales reported nine new cases in the 24 hours to yesterday, while Queensland reported one.
Most other regions have been case-free for weeks.
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