By March that year, as Italian hospitals drowned in cases and the UK dithered about restrictions, Australia decisively closed its borders – and the tactic initially paid off. A country of 25 million people, it has recorded just over 900 coronavirus-related deaths since the pandemic began. Australia’s good fortune held steady at the start of the pandemic, when the country closed its borders “just in time,” said Stears. “This is a country that puts cities of millions into lockdowns over one, or two, or three cases,” she said. A generational divide is now emerging in Australia, with lockdowns and closed borders disproportionately affecting younger people, according to Soutphommasane.

Source: The Nation July 25, 2021 15:56 UTC