Australia records zero Covid-19 cases for first time in five months

Australia records zero Covid-19 cases for first time in five months Locally-transmitted cases have dropped to zero and one state is hopeful for a "normal Christmas". YahooNews

Australia has recorded its first day of no local cases of Covid-19 in almost five months.

Zero cases were reported in the 24 hours between 20:00 on Friday and 20:00 on Saturday - the first time this has happened since 9 June.

The state of Victoria - epicentre of Australia's second wave - recorded zero cases for the second day in a row after a 112-day lockdown.

Health officials say more restrictions may be eased in the coming days. ...

The nation of 25 million adopted an approach of using lockdowns and proactive testing and tracing to contain the virus, and Victoria - where 90% of Covid deaths occurred - imposed some of the severest stay-at-home and curfew rules in the world.

Victoria and its largest city Melbourne began to reopen earlier this week after recording no new community-transmitted cases since June. People were able to freely leave their homes, retail stores, restaurants, cafes and bars could reopen and groups of up to 10 could start gathering. ...