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17 Apr, 2020 08:56

Australia may keep restrictions for a year, biggest state mulls shifts in schools

Australia may keep restrictions for a year, biggest state mulls shifts in schools

Australian public life could be constrained for another year because of the coronavirus pandemic, Prime Minister Scott Morrison warned on Friday. The country has closed its borders and imposed strict social distancing measures for the past month. A total of some 6,500 infections, including 63 deaths, have been reported, according to Reuters.

PM Scott Morrison said the rule requiring people to stand at least 1.5 meters apart, would likely remain for several months, given there was no guarantee a vaccine would be developed in that time. “Social distancing is something we should get very used to,” Morrison told radio station 3AW. “It could be a year, but I’m not speculating about that.”

In Australia’s second most populous state, Victoria, just three percent of children returned to school after the Easter break this week.

The most populous state, New South Wales, has children still on a break. “We are considering our options around a rostering system which will have some students go back on a particular day,” New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian said on Friday. “The alternative is that unfortunately students could face up to a year or longer at home,” she added.