Leading actions taken to stop the spread of COVID-19 in Australia 2020

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and rising cases of coronavirus in the community, the Australian state and federal governments implemented various lockdown measures and directives in order to limit the spread of the virus. Independently of these restrictions, many Australians also made changes to their lives and behaviors in order to mitigate the likelihood of contracting or spreading the virus. In May to June 2020, 94.5 percent of Australians who were surveyed on the household impacts of COVID-19 indicated that they had kept their distance from others. Social distancing behaviors were the most common behavioral changes made by Australians, with just over a quarter indicating that they had worn a facemask.

 Life under lockdown

Australia experienced its second spike in coronavirus cases in August 2020, with the majority of new daily cases concentrated in the state of Victoria. In response, Melbourne was placed under stage four lockdown and the rest of the state at stage 3. This significantly restricted the movement and social interactions of Victorians and included a nightly curfew in Melbourne. Despite these strict controls, most Victorians were accepting of the stage four lockdown measures. Although these restrictions continued to put a strain on the already struggling economic situation and the second quarter of 2020 witnessed a jump in unemployment rates.

 Travel restrictions

International visitors to Australia almost completely stopped in the months after Australia’s first case of COVID-19 in January 2020. This was partially due to the federal Government’s restrictions on international travel but many Australians independently chose to change or cancel travel plans. Separate to the Federal Government’s restrictions, most of the state and territory Governments also implemented boarder restrictions of their own, with Western Australia restricting all movement across its boarders.