MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Australians were celebrating Easter Sunday in a relatively unrestricted manner, as the country did not report any new cases of locally acquired coronavirus.
Queensland, the epicenter of a recent small outbreak in the COVID-19 community, has had only one infection in the past three days. The state has the strictest restrictions on public meetings.
Elsewhere, Australians rushed to the beaches, enjoying the warm weather in many parts of the country, or reunited with families, in stark contrast to last year’s Easter, when a national blockade kept people confined to their homes.
While many countries have imposed new blockades or reduced services for the big Christian holiday, trying to prevent the third wave of coronavirus from spreading, Australia’s churches were open and many attended services over the four-day weekend.
Christianity is the dominant religion in Australia, with 12 million people, and 86% of religious Australians, identifying themselves as Christians, according to the 2016 census.
Australia has been one of the most successful countries in the world in pandemic reduction, with instant blockades, border closures and rapid tracking, limiting coronavirus infections to just over 29,300 infections, with 909 deaths from COVID-19.
The country had much less, however, with its inoculation campaign, missing the March target by about 3.3 million doses, while the states and the federal government argued about the guilt.
Health Minister Greg Hunt said on Sunday that the country is on its way to give a first dose of the vaccine to all Australians who want it by October.
“As supply increased with the manufacture of sovereign vaccines, so did the launch,” he said.
CSL Ltd. started producing 50 million doses of the vaccine at the University of Oxford / AstraZeneca in March in Melbourne, with most Australians expected to receive the vaccine.
Reporting by Lidia Kelly; William Mallard edition