The highly infectious nature of the COVID-19 variant, and the fact the infections have no clear link to the border, leaves the worrying possibility of a more widespread community outbreak.
Public housing tower in Flemington, Melbourne.
DAVID CROSLING/AAP
Perth and surrounds will spend the next five days in lockdown, as authorities scramble to prevent a single case – a quarantine hotel security worker – from escalating into a full-blown COVID cluster.
Timothy Graham, Queensland University of Technology; Axel Bruns, Queensland University of Technology; Daniel Angus, Queensland University of Technology; Edward Hurcombe, Queensland University of Technology, and Samuel Hames, Queensland University of Technology
It only took a relatively small number of Twitter accounts to get hashtags #DictatorDan and #DanLiedPeopleDied trending. And "bots" weren't really a part of the story.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau listens to a speaker during a news conference in Ottawa on Dec. 7, 2020.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
The pandemic has made politics raw because the impact of political decisions is felt immediately in the daily lives of citizens — and there are winners and losers resulting from those decisions.
Drummer Jason Moser records a live-streamed performance in a South African theatre during lockdown.
Alet Pretorius/Gallo Images via Getty Images
Most people know the benefits of physical activity. However, we tend to be less aware of how damaging inactivity can be, even for short periods — especially for older adults.
People who value the physical and mental health benefits of exercise are more likely to maintain habits they developed during periods of COVID-19 lockdown.
People wear face masks to help control the spread of COVID-19 as they walk along a street in Montréal on Oct. 18, 2020.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
The Great Barrington Declaration's advocacy for naturally acquired herd immunity to COVID-19 amounts to a global chickenpox party: naive and dangerous.
All parks are not equal. The response to the opening of golf courses to the public during the COVID pandemic shows the quality of green open space is a big issue for city residents.
Profit margins in South Africa’s minibus taxi industry have been under pressure long before the COVID-19 lockdown.
Karel Prinsloo / AFP via GettyImages
The role of government should be to improve and reorganise this sector to address the needs of users. The proposed national operational subsidy is an opportunity to do precisely that.
Third places – where people meet outside of work and home – foster a sense of belonging, particularly for retirees. COVID-19 restrictions shut them down, so can online communities fill the void?
Ontario Premier Doug Ford, left, and Education Minister Stephen Lecce, right, on July 30, 2020, before announcing the government’s plan for reopening schools in the fall due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
With sufficient testing and co-ordination, reopening schools and businesses in areas without active outbreaks can be as effective as a wide lockdown in minimizing COVID-19 cases, according to a new model.
The state government has enlisted a US software company to deploy a data management system that will speed up contact tracing. But security could be a hitch.
Dougal Sutherland, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
During uncertain times, feelings of anxiety and even anger are normal responses. If left unchecked, these emotions can affect how we behave, but acknowledging them can ease their intensity.
We believe New Zealand can eliminate COVID-19 again. But it could do more to speed up that process with mandatory masks and tighter controls on high-risk venues, including bars, gyms and churches.
Employers have long feared that working from home makes employees less productive. An analysis of 3 million workers in 16 cities during lockdowns suggests the opposite.
A man wearing a face mask to curb the spread of COVID-19 walks past a temporary Pride art installation in Vancouver on Aug. 3, 2020.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Senior Lecturer, School of Computing and Information Systems, University of Melbourne; Senior Research Fellow, Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, The University of Melbourne