Stepping Into Phase D, Australia Will Live Side By Side With COVID-19?

Illustration of COVID-19. (Photo: Pexels/Cottonbro)

JAKARTA - The World Health Organization (WHO) has not declared the COVID-19 pandemic to be endemic. However, a number of countries have shown indications that they are ready to coexist with COVID-19.

One of them is Australia. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the country's political leaders wanted to move into a new phase, Phase D.

Phase D is the phase of coexistence with COVID-19 as if it were the flu. However, the steps towards this phase are still being discussed and will be consulted with health experts.

"Our airports are reopening, international arrivals can come in, there's currently an easing of quarantine for people returning from overseas, so there's a lot of (removal of rules) in Phase D," Morrison said. March.

Officials in Kangaroo Country want to remove the mandatory isolation for close contacts of COVID-19 cases. They will also seek further advice on this matter from the health panel.

"We're pretty sure we're pretty much in Phase D right now, there are a few exceptions. Phase D, remember, means we're living side-by-side with a virus like the flu," he said.

Western Australia and the Northern Territory are one month longer than the eastern states lifting COVID-19 restrictions, the PM added.

Meanwhile, health officials in the most populous state of New South Wales are concerned about a spike in the Omicron BA.2 sub-variant this week. According to them, the daily cases of COVID-19 at the end of March could double from the current number of around 15,000 cases.