Australia to hold independent inquiry into handling of COVID pandemic

FILE PHOTO: A pedestrian wearing a protective face mask crosses tram lines in the city centre during a lockdown to curb the spread of a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Sydney, Australia, September 24, 2021. REUTERS/Loren Elliott/file photo

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia's centre-left Labor government on Thursday said it would hold an independent inquiry into the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic to better prepare for future health crises.

Australia closed its international borders and locked down cities among other pandemic restrictions that helped keep infections and deaths far below levels in other comparable developed economies such as the United States and Britain.