At the end of last year, Australia was lauded for its success in containing Covid-19. The country’s borders had been quickly closed; interstate travel restricted and resources diverted to tracking down cases. In the deluge of praise that followed, outlets like the Washington Post ran gushing features on the country’s ‘pandemic success story’ ‘putting faith in science’; America’s top doctor Anthony Fauci hailed it as the ‘epitome of success.’
But eight months on and a different picture emerges. Covid has had an unfortunate habit of finding the weaknesses in a country or health system and in Australia the precious time gained last year was largely squandered on a widely-criticised vaccine roll out. Since then there have been a number of eerily familiar debates similar to those seen a year ago in the UK; outlandish statements on mask effectiveness, questions about AstraZeneca’s safety and uneasy authoritarian stances.
Below is Steerpike’s guide to five moments of madness in Australia’s battle with Covid-19.
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