Australia: Social distancing may continue for year

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ANKARA (AA) - Unless a vaccine against the novel coronavirus is found, social distancing measures may continue for a year in Australia, the country's premier said on Friday.

Scott Morrison underlined that there was no guarantee that a coronavirus vaccine will be developed, the daily Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Authorities also decided to continue the lockdown in the country for the next four weeks to stem the spread of the infection.

"There was never a vaccine for [viruses] SARS or MERS and the social distancing is something we should get very used to," said Morrison.

Australia has more than 6,520 cases of the coronavirus while the death toll rose to 65 after a COVID-19 patient was reported to have died on Friday.

"Certainly, while the virus is prevalent across the world [the 1.5-meter rule] should be a natural instinct."

- COVID-19 lockdown boosts drinking, renovations

People in Australia are consuming more alcohol the more they stay home during the lockdown put in place against the virus, new figures suggest.

According to a national YouGov Galaxy poll, 20% of more than 1,000 participants said they bought more alcohol than usual and almost a third of them were now drinking daily, ABC News reported.

Also, many have taken to renovating their homes as they continued to live in isolation to avoid getting infected.

Although big projects have taken a hit, the Sydney Morning Herald reported that demand for small jobs and maintenance including repairs by homeowners have gone through the roof.

- Global situation

After originating in Wuhan, China last December, the virus has spread to at least 185 countries and regions across the world, with its epicenter shifting to Europe, while China has largely come out of the crisis.

Over 2.1 million people have been infected worldwide while nearly 560,000 people recovered from the disease, according to data compiled by the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University. Over 145,500 have died.

Despite the rising number of cases, most people who are infected suffer only mild symptoms and make a recovery.