States lift some coronavirus-related restrictions

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The Sydney Opera House. Photo: Nasya Bahfen

As infection rates fall, New South Wales joins Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory in lifting some coronavirus-related restrictions.

Victoria will keep stage three lockdowns in place for at least another two weeks, with Premier Daniel Andrews citing the state’s higher number of community transmissions.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has commended Australians on self-isolation during the coronavirus outbreak.

With cases of COVID-19 now growing in Australia by single digits a day, Mr Morrison says there is a lot more that Australia can do to prevent further outbreaks of the disease.

During his media conference, the Prime Minister said if the rate of growth had been the same as two weeks earlier, Australia would be in a more dire situation.

But Mr Morrison says the current extensiveness of self-isolation measures need to continue for the sake of all Australians.

“We need to continue to keep the pressure on. We need to continue to supress the virus. We are now at single-digit rates of growth but we need to do more. The changes that you are making Australia, are working and we need to keep making those changes and making sure we can make those changes on a sustainable basis in our daily lives.”

After recommending the public extend their self-isolation, Mr Morrison congratulated the states on fewer non-traceable cases and thanked them for their hard work.

“So, we are in what we describe today in the National Cabinet is the suppression phase. We are now in a place where we are seeking on putting the pressure down on constraining this virus in Australia. We then need to look at the recovery phase which is beyond, and I want to assure Australians that the National Cabinet is very focused on those issues as well.”

Mr Morrison said Australia would continue to fight the virus, and slow down its spread.