Australia plans to lift most virus restrictions by July

SYDNEY (HRNW) – Australia’s government on Friday unveiled a three-stage plan to get the economy back to a new “COVID-safe” normal by the end of July.

Federal authorities have left details of the plan’s implementation up to the country’s diverse states and territories, meaning coronavirus restrictions will remain in place for weeks or months longer in areas hardest hit by the disease.

Australia has been one of the most successful countries in containing the COVID-19 epidemic, with just under 7,000 cases and 100 deaths in a population of 25 million.

A ban on international travel and a raft of other restrictions on businesses and public gatherings have helped bring new daily infections down to zero or single digits in most areas.