Australia to chart course out of coronavirus crisis

Monitoring Desk

SYDNEY: Australia’s lock-down measures have bought it time in its fight against the coronavirus and it must now decide its next course, its top medical officer said on Tuesday, as the prime minister warned against irreparable economic damage. Australia has seen a sharp drop in its rate of new coronavirus cases in recent days after strict social-distancing measures were brought in, although there has been a rise in cases of people contracting the virus from unknown sources, worrying authorities.

But the economic damage has been significant with the central bank governor warning on Tuesday of a “very large economic contraction” expected in the June quarter and unemployment surging. Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy said researchers were analysing data on the epidemic to help the government plot a recovery, with the benefit of some extra time afforded by social distancing. “We are on a life raft but we still have to chart the course of where we take that life raft,” Murphy told reporters in Canberra. (Reuters)