Researchers zero in on longer lockdowns to crush COVID-19 A team of ANU modellers, economists and public health experts have shed light on whether to relax current restrictions because of the latest COVID-19 outbreak. 6 July 2021 The NSW Government is under pressure to relax those restrictions, but decisions must be based on the facts on the ground. The NSW Government faces a high-pressure decision this week about whether to relax current restrictions because of the latest COVID-19 outbreak, according to an expert from The Australian National University (ANU). Research just published by a team of modellers, economists and public health experts from the ANU Crawford School of Public Policy, ANU National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, and the University of Melbourne sheds light on lockdowns.