Sydney neurologist Dr Kate Ahmad is among a group of leading Australian doctors to call for a full escalation of the country’s lockdown to stem the coronavirus pandemic
Australia’s leading medical experts have called for a full escalation of the country’s lockdown to stop the spread of the coronavirus before it’s too late.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison ordered a series of draconian measures from midday on Monday including the closure of bars, cafes and restaurants.
But as the national number of cases surged past 1,700 on Monday evening, top doctors from across Australia called on Mr Morrison to close schools and place the country into total lockdown.
As part of a joint video message, Sydney neurologist Dr Kate Ahmad said she was ‘terrified’ the rapidly increasing case count could overwhelm the country’s health system.
The number of infections in Australia has more than doubled in the space of four days from 710 last Thursday to 1,716 on Monday.
‘I am terrified the increasing number of cases are going to overwhelm our hospitals and we are going to have to make terrible triage decisions and we are not going to get the care we need,’ Dr Ahmad said.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison addresses the media on the coronavirus pandemic on Sunday. Leading medical experts have called on the Australian government to close schools and extend Monday’s partial lockdown
‘I’ve been a doctor for 35 years and I’m scared,’ associate professor David Allen added.
Their comments were echoed by the Western Australian president of the Australian Medical Association Andrew Miller.
‘I’m calling on the government to jump on the breaks. We want them to impose lockdown until we have this under control,’ he said.
The editor of the Medical Journal of Australia Nick Talley meanwhile said more had to be done by the government to stem the virus’ spread.
Front line health workers are also being put at risk by the lack of a shutdown, the chair of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists warned.
‘All non-essential services should be shut down now, we ask governments of all persuasions to act now,’ Dr Angelo Virgona said in the video uploaded on Sunday.
‘The spread of this virus is going to lead to a catastrophe for health workers who are on the front line and we need to protect them.’
The editor of the Medical Journal of Australia Nick Talley said more had to be done by the government on top of the new restrictions to stem the virus’ spread
Queensland will shut its borders from midnight on Wednesday to slow the spread of coronavirus after the Northern Territory, Western Australia, Tasmania and South Australia announced the same move.
New South Wales, Victoria and the ACT still have open borders.
Unemployed Australians forced out of a job by the new restrictions were lined outside Centrelink offices on Monday hoping to to lodge claims for unemployment benefits and emergency assistance.
On Monday, the prime minister vowed to continue to support the most vulnerable as he warned that many more would likely lose their jobs as a result of the pandemic.
The national number of cases surged past 1,700 on Monday evening – more than doubling across Australia in the space of just four days
‘The tests, hardships and sacrifices that will be placed on all of us, on our national character, will undoubtedly break our hearts on many occasions in the months ahead,’ he said as he addressed parliament.
‘But we must resolve today, as Australians, to come together and to pledge to each other across our nation that this coronavirus will not break our Australian spirit.
‘So, together, and with the rest of the world, we face this unprecedented challenge. A once in a hundred year event.
‘A global health pandemic that has fast become an economic crisis, the likes of which we have not seen since the Great Depression.’
In a bid to slow the spread of the deadly illness, pubs and licensed premises will be closed from midday Monday for about six months.
The restrictions also cover places of worship, casinos, restaurants and cafes without takeaway services, nightclubs and registered clubs.
As news broke of the looming closures, panicked shoppers headed in droves to liquor stores to stock up on alcohol, however, bottle shops will remain open.
The stricter rules come after tens of thousands of people flocked beaches across the country on Friday and Saturday, ignoring the ban on mass gatherings and social distancing orders.