The Australian Medical Association (AMA) and some organisers behind Saturday’s historic Black Lives Matter protests have urged the tens of thousands of people who attended the marches to self-isolate for 14 days in order to prevent a resurgence of the virus.
A post by the Warriors of the Aboriginal Resistance, which organised rallies in Melbourne and Brisbane, called on protestors to self-isolate for two weeks and get tested if they experienced any concerning symptoms. The post was subsequently shared by similar groups in other Australian capitals.
The federal advice was less drastic. Federal deputy chief medical officer Nick Coatsworth, speaking at a media briefing on Monday, June 8, urged anyone who attended the protests to get tested if they experienced even minor symptoms, although he stopped short of recommending total isolation.
NSW Police attempted to block Saturday's protest through the courts due to fears of a ‘second wave’ of infection. An injunction on those grounds was initially granted but then overturned less than 24 hours later, just minutes before the protest’s advertised start, although tens of thousands of demonstrators had already assembled outside Sydney Town Hall before the favourable ruling was made.
There are many unknowns currently lingering over Australia’s progress in combating the outbreak. Detection of new cases has fallen nationwide in recent weeks, despite many states relaxing social restrictions. However, medical officers on both state and federal levels have repeatedly warned that infection rates will almost certainly increase now that many businesses are reopening and some travel bans have been lifted.
Despite these warnings, testing data has remained largely positive. NSW had recorded 12 consecutive days with no instances of community transmission between May 26 and June 7, although that streak was broken on Monday, June 8, when one of the three cases detected during the previous 24 hours was deemed to be locally acquired. On Saturday, June 6, Victoria recorded its first 24-hour period with no new cases detected since lockdown orders were introduced in mid-March.
A second wave of infection has struck some other countries that have attempted to ease restrictions. Iran in particular has experienced an aggressive resurgence of the virus, with a higher number of active cases now than during the peak of its first wave. By contrast, New Zealand, which introduced level three restrictions – shutting hospitality and sports venues, banning public gatherings and restricting people's movements outside of their homes – very early in its outbreak, announced on Monday, June 8, that the country was officially infection free, with no currently active cases. In total, 22 people died in New Zealand as a result of infection. The country's prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, has now lifted all previously introduced restrictions except for a ban on international travel and the mandatory 14-day quarantine of returning travellers.