Restrictions eased but ‘let’s not have a party, let’s not go to town’

AS RESTRICTIONS ease across the nation, Australians are being warned to take their freedoms carefully for fear of sparking a second wave of the deadly coronavirus.

States and territories have begun the first stage of a threestage process to lift restrictions but Australian Medical Association president Tony Bartone urged people to remain vigilant because the virus is still present in the community and could flare up.

“If we do the wrong things, we risk undoing all the gains that we’ve made so far,” Dr Batone told the ABC yesterday. “So, the message is, yes, appreciate all the efforts, appreciate the opportunity to release some of those measures, but let’s not have a party, let’s not go to town.”

He said people must still maintain social distance and cough etiquette, wash hands regularly and stay away from others if they are unwell.

“Those messages are really the backbone as we progressively lift those restrictions,” he said.

The number of cases breached 7000 on Friday, but the death toll from the pandemic remains at 98, extremely low by international standards. However, Victoria has recorded another 11 new cases, including a further two infections connected to the west Melbourne abattoir cluster, which now stands at 98. Elsewhere, a McDonald’s restaurant in the north Melbourne suburb of Fawkner has recorded an additional case, with the outlet’s cluster growing to 11. There was one new case in Queensland.