Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Aug. 24, 2018. Photo: Reuters / David Gray.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Australian counterpart, Scott Morrison, spoke by phone on Thursday to discuss the coronavirus pandemic.

According to a statement from Netanyahu’s office, the two leaders talked about policies to contain the virus, as well as the efficacy of lockdowns.

Netanyahu congratulated Morrison on the successful use of a lockdown in the state of Victoria, and said Israel was beginning to see results from its second nationwide lockdown this year.

Australia has mostly managed to contain the virus, but in Victoria a major outbreak occurred centered in the city of Melbourne, leading to a near-total lockdown that is still in effect.

Also raised were the normalization accords recently signed by Israel, the UAE and Bahrain and “the changes in the approach toward Israel in the Arab and Muslim worlds.”