Australia's NSW Records Zero COVID-19 Cases for 29 Consecutive Days... Effectively Over

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] In New South Wales (NSW), the most populous state in Australia, the number of new local COVID-19 infections has recorded '0' for 29 consecutive days.

As a result, there is an assessment that COVID-19 has effectively ended.

According to the Australian daily Sydney Morning Herald on the 15th, for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, NSW has confirmed no new infections, including overseas arrivals quarantined in hotels.

NSW, where a cluster infection occurred in Sydney's Northern Beaches just before last year's Christmas, has contained the spread through partial lockdowns of infected areas, strengthened social distancing, and mandatory face mask wearing instead of a full lockdown.

Gladys Berejiklian, Premier of NSW, avoided mentioning Victoria, which is currently enforcing strict lockdowns due to a small number of recent infections, during a press conference, emphasizing that each state has different response methods.

She stated, "To prevent the spread of the virus while maximizing citizens' freedoms, we try to avoid closing state borders or issuing lockdown orders whenever possible," adding, "This effort is well reflected in how we handled the Northern Beaches cluster infection."

Professor Senjaya Senanayake, an infectious disease expert at the Australian National University, said, "NSW's streak of zero infections is a great success but may be difficult to sustain," pointing out, "While COVID-19 is spreading in other parts of the world, the 'eradication' achieved by one region in Australia can only be temporary."