An 'early mark'- Australia to review easing measures

An 'early mark'- Australia to review easing measures

Australia will consider next Friday whether to relax coronavirus-related mobility restrictions, as the growth rate of new infections slows, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Friday following a national cabinet meeting.

Emer McCarthy reports.

With just 28 confirmed cases, the Northern Territory became the first region in Australia to lift major coronavirus social measures on Friday (May 1).

The territory government scrapped social gathering limitations for non-contact sport, weddings and funerals, as well as opening public parks and pools-- which territorians flocked to in Darwin.

And the rest of the country may not be far behind.

Here's Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER SCOTT MORRISON, SAYING: "Today the national cabinet agreed to bring forward our consideration of the decision on relaxing restrictions to next Friday.

Australians have earned an early mark through the work that they have done and that decision will now be made on next Friday." Morrison continued to urge Australians to download an app aimed at tracing contacts of COVID-19 patients, saying it was a pre-condition to relaxing the containment measures.

The COVIDSAFE app has currently been downloaded by three and a half million people.

Australia has reported about 6,700 COVID-19 cases and 93 deaths, significantly below the levels reported in the United States, Britain and Europe.