As the novel coronavirus that apparently originated in Wuhan, China is wreaking havoc in all nooks of the world, the Australian state of Victoria has set an example on how the pandemic can be controlled and contained effectively. The state has not recorded a single positive case in the last 30 days, and due to this positive sign, authorities have announced some changes to its virus restrictions.
Work from Home to Work at Office
From November 30, businesses that are currently working at home can open their workplaces with 25 percent employees. However, all businesses should have to follow all standard workplace requirements that include density limits. Businesses with less than 40 staff can open their workplaces with ten employees subject to density limits.
The same strategy is adopted in Victorian public service as well. The service will continue to operate on a normal basis, and if staff can work from home, they should do that. Facemasks are mandatory indoors under this new arrangement. The term indoor applies to settings that include public transport, including when waiting at stations, rideshares, hospitals, care facilities, and shopping.
Facemasks are not mandatory outdoors except in the scenarios where physical distancing could not be maintained. In Australia, there are more than 27,800 positive cases, and the death toll has crossed 900. Considering the rampage caused by coronavirus worldwide, Australia can be considered one country that has successfully managed to reduce fatalities and quick spread.
The Example of Taiwan
Taiwan is another country that has successfully contained coronavirus. Even though the country has a population of 23,780,000 the country has kept the pandemic at bay with just 648 positive cases and seven deaths.
Kelsie Nabben, a researcher at the Digital Ethnography Research Centre, RMIT University had recently suggested that the heroes of Taiwan's success in fighting the coronavirus pandemic are civic tech activists. Taiwan's digital minister Audrey Tang had also claimed that the nation's digital social innovation has played a crucial role in controlling the spread of COVID-19.
