Aus Treasurer rules out early lifting of COVID-19 restrictions

Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg on Thursday shot down calls from business leaders for the government to lift restrictions imposed in the country against the coronavirus pandemic.

Frydenberg said that restrictions on gatherings introduced to slow the spread of COVID-19 will only be lifted if medical experts allows it, reports Xinhua nes agency.

He told business leaders to look at the parts of the economy that are continuing to thrive despite the pandemic.

"We've got to be guided by the medical advice ... the advice has served us well and we need to continue to take that advice," he told Nine Entertainment radio.

"Not all aspects of the economy have been equally hit. Mining continues to go well, parts of the manufacturing sector are strong, we've obviously seen construction continue, and the supermarkets and pharmacies have never had it so good."

It comes after Richard Goyder, the chairman of Qantas and Woodside Petroleum, made the economic case for a swifter relaxing of restrictions in a newspaper column published by News Corp Australia on Thursday.

He said that Australians must prepare to re-open the economy before a vaccine for COVID-19 can be rolled out, arguing that more businesses would fail the longer the shutdown lasts.

The spread of COVID-19 in Australia has slowed significantly, with the growth rate of confirmed cases dropping below 3 per cent in recent days.

The country has so far reported 6,010 coronavirus cases, with 50 deaths. IANS