Australian internal borders to stay shut as COVID-19 daily deaths reach record

@divinda: More cases in Japan unfortunately , I wouldn't think Aussies would want to come... and no one wants to go to America the home of the virus

Kuruki - They honestly did nothing special other than close their international border early.

Are you serious? Is there another Australia you live in? They closed all restaurants, cafes and pubs. They set hefty fines for people breaking the social distancing regulations. They closed domestic borders. They even gave the elderly special access to supermarkets during the shutdowns.

What has happened in Melbourne is due to a stupid few who disregarded the regulations and spread the virus into communities. The cases in Sydney and Brisbane cone from people who escaped Melbourne before the borders were closed and lied about their travels.

internal border closures were unlikely to be lifted before Christmas

So much for that touted business travel bubble Japan was intending with the Aussies...

It is to be feared that the world is presently losing the battle with "Parasite Rex" even if the virus goes away, eventually. Science and wisdom are our only weapons. For those of us who manage to survive to the other side of this plague, the transformed post-pandemic world promises to be "interesting times" indeed.

@Do the hustle

Yes, those methods initially worked but it wasn't a long term solution. Small businesses were seriously harmed, and many many non-citizens were left with no financial support or forced to return to their country. Whilst the fines may have spooked some people from breaking regulations, I still saw so many people out and about (at least in Sydney).

Despite all these efforts, many people still don't practice social distancing seriously and don't wear masks.

Look, maybe my earlier comment was harsh. Australia is definitely doing some things right, and certainly better than some countries. But I still stand by that they're not a "global leader".

At least the Ozzies don’t get conflicting messages to ‘travel’ as the Japanese do...

It was considered a global leader early in the pandemic

This is hilarious - I live in Australia and there's no way Australia should be considered a global leader. They honestly did nothing special other than close their international border early.

Australians barely practice social distancing. For example, people flocked to Bondi beach when offices closed and people had to work from home. People have been hosting house parties and lining up to go to the bars!

Mask is mainly worn by the Asian ethnic Australians but even then, I would say only about 40% are wearing it at most times in Sydney. A lot of my non-Asian friends just don't understand the concept of wearing a mask or don't believe in its prevention effect.

The government spent millions developing a tracing app which haven't been downloaded by the majority hence making it ineffective.

I was also sick the other day but there were no nearby testing centres that I could access unless I had a car (which I don't). So in the end, I couldn't get tested because I didn't want to risk taking public transport and travelling long distance and expose myself to other people.

If anything, Australia should be criticised for creating a lockdown situation without any form of compensation or support for small businesses and casual workers, no support for working holiday and visa holders, and allowing people to tap into their superannuation fund without properly checking for eligibility (some people used this as a loophole to use this money as a deposit to buy homes!).

Australia's response to the pandemic is a joke. Look at South Korea and Taiwan as a role model instead.