As Australia now looks to lift virus measures as early as July, there’s a lesson to be learned from one region which was forced to reintroduce restrictions.
It was the news many Australians had been waiting with bated breath for – a plan of exactly how lockdown would end.
Yesterday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison revealed the government’s three-step plan for easing social distancing measures which would be gradually introduced on a state-by-state basis.
With Australian coronavirus cases on the decline for a month now, Mr Morrison said it was possible restrictions could be lifted as early as July.
“We know we need to be careful to preserve our gains, (but) if we wish to reclaim the ground we lost, we cannot be too timid,” he told reporters.
While Australia is being touted as one of the world’s biggest success stories when it comes to coronavirus, it isn’t the first country to lift social distancing measures.
ISRAEL
After locking down the country in March the Israeli government began easing social distancing restrictions late last month.
Public worship and exercise had previously been banned and most businesses had been shuttered by the lockdown.
Special education and some childcare services have since resumed, while small prayer groups and outdoor exercise has once again been allowed.
People were also allowed to return to work in offices with small and hi-tech businesses reopened.
This month gyms and shopping centres were reopened and rules prohibiting people from not visiting family and friends or travelling more than 100 metres from their home were reversed.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said all social distancing measures could now be reduced by early June, The Times of Israel reported.
However, Mr Netanyahu warned that social distancing measures may need to be reintroduced if new case numbers rise above 100 per day.
New cases of coronavirus in Israel have been on the decline since the beginning of April, with the country sitting at 16,409 total confirmed cases and 245 deaths.
Read the article by Hanna Paine in the Mercury.