At the end of July Australia experienced a sustained increase in coronavirus cases, which peaked on August 5, when 715 new infections were detected in a single day. Since then, in the country of 25 million people, the pandemic has been kept under control and, more than some isolated jumps of 30 or more cases on the dates close to the festivities — 34 were recorded on December 19, December 20, 43 and December 30, 31—, it has had no complications or figures higher than 40 since September.
Since the beginning of the year, except on January 2 when 35 new cases of covid-19 were found, Australia always registered less than 24 infected per day. The numbers are so favorable that, cWith almost 53% of the inhabitants tested, the average in 2021 gives 11.9 infected every 24 hours, 55 active cases and only one in intensive care, according to data provided by the Australian Department of Health.
Tests every thousand people show that the oceanic country tests less than Uruguay (1.35 tests against 1.89), but what, in relation to its population, it has better numbers: it performs 510.53 tests per thousand inhabitants, while Uruguay does 247.35. The positivity figures, in turn, tip the balance in favor of Australia: average 0.2% positive in the last seven days.
This Wednesday only six new infections were found in that country. The surprising thing? They were detected after more than 59 thousand tests carried out in the last 24 hours, which produced only 0.01% positive. Y this Thursday, the number was reduced to five people.
Unlike other countries, the good news of the last time allowed to reach more and carry out the Australian Open, one of the four most important tennis tournaments of the year and one of the few that could be held with the public in 2020 due to the then recent appearance of covid-19.
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Tennis player Daniil Medvedev plays the ATP Cup with limited capacity
Although some players, such as the Swiss Roger Federer, ruled out participating due to the strict quarantines that are required in the country, most of the most recognized tennis players on the planet will lead the event that will begin next Sunday, February 8. Of course: for that, before, 72 tennis players were banned from leaving their hotel rooms for weeks upon arrival in Australia and some, like the Uruguayan Pablo Cuevas, entertained themselves training from the bedroom.
All the measures point towards the same goal: to prevent infections. And in this case even more, because Each game will be allowed up to 50% of the capacity, a measure that was influenced by the health situation in Melbourne, where 28 days ago people with covid-19 did not appear, until this Thursday, when a case of a hotel employee who received the players forced to suspend all matches of the day and test all the tennis players who were in that hotel. Is he cost of “zero contagion”: it forces drastic and immediate measures. Its defenders, however, argue that it allows a return to the “old” normality quickly.
In sydney the provisions are the same or more stringent. Upon detecting an outbreak in that city, the authorities do not hesitate for a second to confine the population and immediately limit the meetings to between 6 and 10 people, depending on the neighborhood, until the origin is found.
Perth is the most recent example. Since Sunday, a mandatory five-day quarantine has been in place in that town, after the positive of a hotel security guard, where people recently arrived in the country are in quarantine. For that reason, around two million city residents will remain at home until this Friday, as will those who live in nearby regions, and can only go out to exercise, receive medical care, perform essential jobs or buy food. .
The new rules are a consequence of the first local contagion detected in Perth in more than 10 monthsauthorities warned.
“Our model is to deal with the matter very, very quickly and harshly (…) in order to have it under control and that the community spread of the virus does not occur, as has been seen in other countries around the world,” Prime Minister of the State, Mark McGowan.
According to estimates, the infected patient contracted coronavirus through a traveler, apparently infected with the British variant of the virus, who was returning home and was in quarantine in a hotel.
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