Australian borders were closed to all non-residents on 20 March,
[3] and returning residents were required to spend two weeks in supervised quarantine hotels from 27 March.
[4] Many individual states and territories also closed their borders to varying degrees, with some remaining closed until late 2020.
[5] Social distancing rules were imposed on 21 March, and state governments started to close 'non-essential' services.
[6][7] "Non-essential services" included social gathering venues such as pubs and clubs but unlike many other countries did not include most business operations such as construction, manufacturing and many retail categories.
[8] The number of new cases initially grew sharply, then levelled out at about 350 per day around 22 March, and started falling at the beginning of April to under 20 cases per day by the end of the month.
[1]
A second wave of infections emerged in Victoria during May and June, which was attributed to an outbreak at a Melbourne quarantine hotel. The second wave, though largely localised to
Melbourne, was much more widespread and deadlier than the first; at its peak, the state had over 7,000 active cases.
[9] Victoria underwent a second strict lockdown which eventually lasted almost four months.
[10] The wave ended with zero new cases being recorded on 26 October.
[11][12][13]
As of 20 December 2020, Australia has reported 28,171 cases, 25,486 recoveries, and 908 deaths, with Victoria's second wave accounting for nearly 75 percent of cases and 90 percent of fatalities.
[1] The stated goal of the
National Cabinet is "zero community transmission," in contrast to the mitigation strategies implemented by most other nations.
[14] Compared to other Western countries, notably the United States and European countries, Australia's handling has been praised for its effectiveness.
[15][16][17
