A previous version of Melbourne's COVID roadmap flagged an exclusive bubble between two households. The new plan allows residents to have two adult visitors per day, which is far riskier.
The Premier said Melbourne's restrictions could be eased more than expected on Monday. But from an outbreak-management perspective, we should be careful of easing too soon.
We have to balance the risk of transmission with the mental health challenges of lockdowns. A bubble system could alleviate loneliness while minimising infection risk.
Not everyone has a job they can do from home. Mapping the patterns of occupations across Melbourne's suburbs against COVID-19 cases strongly suggests why some parts of the city are more vulnerable.
Analysis suggests when COVID-19 cases reach 100 over 14 days, an outbreak gets very difficult to control — as we saw in Victoria. Over the last fortnight, NSW has recorded at least 154 new cases.
The best option is for infected people to be admitted to hospitals or other suitable health facilities. This will help prevent transmission within families.
UNSW Sydney's Professor Mary-Louise McLaws, who is an adviser to the World Health Organisation, says the world will never be the same again following the COVID-19 pandemic.
They're everywhere in hospitals, travellers' backpacks and the aisles of pharmacies in winter, but do we really need to use alcohol-based hand sanitiser, asks Mary-Louise McLaws.
