Australia faces an "enormous amount of work" to continue to suppress the spread of coronavirus while reviving its economy, but progress is being made "far sooner than we could have ever imagined", the Prime Minister says.
Key points:
- About 30,000 Australians are being tested for COVID-19 daily, with 0.05 per cent testing positive
- Just two people are on ventilators
- Early data shows the easing of restrictions does not appear to be creating major outbreak risks
An early report on the lifting of lockdowns, received by National Cabinet on Friday, says the rate of spread remains low and the easing of restrictions does not appear to be leading to unmanageable outbreaks.
And while it's too early to put too much faith in the data, governments remain confident enough to keep lifting restrictions in line with the National Cabinet's three-step plan, Scott Morrison said.
"We're on track, and we're making progress far sooner than we could have ever imagined several months ago when National Cabinet was first formed," he said.
"We still have an enormous amount of work to do in the months that are ahead. And that is to both manage, as always, and suppress the virus, and to ensure that we can reopen our economy."
Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy said of the 30,000 Australians now being tested each day, fewer than 20 were being diagnosed with COVID-19 — a rate of 0.05 per cent.
He said just two Australians were now on ventilators, "a long way short of the 7,000 potential that we catered for in the worst-case scenario".
"We would still like to do more tests," Professor Murphy said.
More than 6 million people have now downloaded the COVIDSafe app.
Promising results from fortnight of freedoms
National Cabinet has received the first report on the Pandemic Health Intelligence Plan, which contains data on the virus's behaviour in Australia since restrictions began to be lifted.
Professor Murphy said while it showed all health measures were "in good shape", it was too early to draw definitive conclusions.
"That first report really is only on two weeks' worth of data because most restrictions were relaxed two weeks ago," he said.
"We do need to be cautious about saying that the relaxation of restrictions hasn't had a deleterious public health effect. We don't think so but we must watch and be very careful."
Australia's relative success at managing the outbreak, and the low numbers of cases and deaths compared to some modelling forecasts, has led some critics to question whether lockdowns have been too harsh at needless economic cost.
But Mr Morrison said it was foolish to think Australia was ever immune from the disastrous outbreaks seen in many other parts of the world.
"We only need to look at countries as sophisticated as ours, as developed as ours, with health systems as strong as ours, who have death rates 100 times of what has occurred in Australia," he said.
State of the states:
| Jurisdiction | Easing of restrictions | Elective surgery activity |
|---|---|---|
| NSW | Moving to parts of steps 2 and 3 from June 1, with regional travel also allowed from that date. | Aiming for 75 per cent by June 30. |
| Vic | In step 1 with exceptions (such as restaurant closures and local travel bans). Stay-at-home advice remains. Moving to step 2 from June 1, with more restrictions lifting on June 22, and into step 3 in late July. | Up to half of normal activity, building to 75 per cent by June 30. |
| Qld | Moving to step 2 on June 12, and step 3 on July 10. | Up to 100 per cent, subject to availability of PPE. |
| WA | Largely in step 2, but with restrictions such as on travel, salons and entertainment venues. Step 3 rules from June 6 will mean gatherings of up to 300 people will be allowed in some settings. | Up to 50 per cent, building to 75 per cent by June 2. |
| SA | Moving to step 2 on June 1, with cinemas, theatres, galleries, museums, beauty salons and gyms open, and up to 80 people in restaurants and bars. | 100 per cent capacity as of May 14. |
| Tas | Moving to step 2 on June 15, and step 3 on July 13 | Increasing to 100 per cent |
| ACT | Some Step 2 restrictions eased, with more to be eased from June 19. Step 3 estimated to be in place by mid-July. | To be increased to 100 per cent "in a careful and staged approach" |
| NT | Step 2 in place since May 15, with some restrictions. Two-hour time limits for gatherings, but no per-person limits if social distancing is maintained. Moving to step 3 on June 5. Interstate travellers can enter without being forced into quarantine from June 15. | Increasing to 75 per cent of normal activity |
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2020-05-29 10:14:15Z
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