‘Australians Have Behaved Responsibly In This Crisis’

NEW DELHI: Australia appears to have done pretty well dealing with the coronavirus. The death toll is around 60 with 6335 infected and 238 in hospital. But the authorities are keeping their eye on the ball, wary that since the Easter weekend saw no testing, the toll could rise. Mosiqi Acharya, a producer and journalist with a radio station in Melbourne, told StratNews Global that perhaps Australia’s biggest advantage is the fact that it is an island. With no land borders to shut down, all Australia had to do was keep an eye on ports and airports and gear up its highly rated medical and healthcare system. Some of those infected were kept on Christmas Island, an Indian Ocean territory. But more than anything else, the government appears to have relied on the innate discipline of its people to ensure social distancing, wear masks and gloves when outside the home and follow established hand-washing practices. Acharya says Prime Minister Scott Morrison is also seen to have performed credibly, providing leadership and ensuring seamless functioning of government.