Reflections on One of the World’s Harshest COVID-19 Lockdowns, and on the Possibility of Eliminating COVID-19 in Australia

Abstract

The first case of COVID-19 in Australia was diagnosed on January 25, 2020 (Australian Government Department of Health, 2020), at about the same time as the first case in the US. Within a fortnight, the virus was present in at least three of Australia’s eight major states/territories, and community transmission was occurring (Liebig et al., 2020). By March 18, Australia had recorded a cumulative total of 567 COVID-19 cases and 5 deaths, and the federal government declared the virus to be a biosecurity emergency (COVID-19 Data, 2020; Our World in Data, 2020; Parliament of Australia, 2020a). All of Australia’s state/territory government subsequently implemented lockdowns, asking people to work and study from home, closing non-essential businesses, banning unnecessary travel, and prohibiting mass gatherings (Parliament of Australia, 2020b). Australia also implemented a variety of other responses – for example: vigorously tracing the contacts of known cases, forcibly isolating those contacts, limiting and quarantining international travelers, undertaking extensive testing (including of asymptomatic people), and limiting access to high-risk groups (including those in residential care settings). By the first week of April, we had effectively ‘flattened the curve’ (COVID-19 Data, 2020). Our COVID-19 response was celebrated as “among the most successful in the world” (Duckett & Stobart, 2020).