Millions of Australians back in lockdown amid Melbourne virus outbreak

[webfact]

Millions of Australians back in lockdown amid Melbourne virus outbreak

By Colin Packham and Byron Kaye

 

Vehicles drive past public housing towers, locked down in response to an outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Melbourne, Australia, July 8, 2020. REUTERS/Sandra Sanders NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES.

 

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia's second largest city, Melbourne, went back into lockdown at midnight on Wednesday, forcing five million Australians to stay home for all but essential business for the next six weeks to contain a flare-up of coronavirus cases.

 

State police were patrolling the city and setting up checkpoints on major roads to stop people heading out to regional areas and spreading the virus from what is now Australia's pandemic epicentre, with 860 active cases.

 

"The window for police discretion is very small and is closing as the threat to public health and safety created by those breaching the Chief Health Officer's directions is too great," Victoria police said in a statement.

 

Cafes, bars, restaurants and gyms which only recently reopened had to shut again. Police had no comment on whether anyone has been stopped or fined since midnight.

 

The renewed lockdown follows the closure of Australia's busiest state border, between Victoria and the most populous state New South Wales, on Tuesday night.

 

"The rest of the country knows that the sacrifice that you're going through right now is not just for you and your own family, but it's for the broader Australian community," Prime Minister Scott Morrison said.

 

Morrison said he would take a proposal to state and territory leaders on Friday to slow down the number of Australian citizens and permanent residents returning home from overseas. The two groups have been the only arrivals allowed since Australia closed its international border in March.

 

New Zealand announced on Tuesday its national airline will not take new inbound bookings for three weeks to reduce the burden on overflowing quarantine facilities.

 

In Australia, red flags have been raised by potential quarantine breaches that the Victorian state government believes led to returnees spreading the virus.

 

Melbourne is the capital of Victoria state, which reported 134 new infections on Wednesday, down from the previous day's record 191 but well over the low single digit daily increases elsewhere in the country.

 

Fears of a broader second wave were underscored by an official report of three new COVID-19 cases in the national capital, Canberra. Two of the infected people had returned from Melbourne last week and the third was their housemate.

 

In Sydney, authorities were scrambling to track down 48 passengers who were allowed to disembark a flight from Melbourne overnight without being checked for COVID-19 symptoms.

 

Australia will likely slow down the return of its citizens from abroad, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Wednesday, as it grapples with a fresh outbreak of the coronavirus that has led it to isolate its second most populous state.

 

The resurgence of the virus and imposition of new containment measures will make it tougher for the government to get the economy back on its feet as it sinks into its first recession in three decades. Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the border closure and Melbourne lockdown would cost the economy up to A$1 billion (553.40 million pounds) per week.

 

Australians wanting to enter New South Wales state from Victoria in the early hours of Wednesday (July 8 ) were forced to show permits allowing travel or be turned around, as officials scramble to contain a coronavirus outbreak. Libby Hogan reports.

 

 

BORDER CONTROL

Ahead of the lockdown, police checkpoints at the Victoria- NSW border caused delays of more than an hour for drivers, many of them daily commuters who live and work on either side.

 

"I got a permit but with all the checks, my commute across was heavily delayed," Amanda Cohn, who crosses the border from her home in NSW each day to reach the Victorian hospital where she works, told Reuters. "Plenty of others need to get across and they don't have a permit."

 

Victoria's only other internal border, with South Australia, has been closed since mid-March.

 

Among the new COVID-19 cases in Melbourne on Wednesday were 75 occupants of nine public housing towers that were placed into complete lockdown last week, barring their 3,000 residents from leaving for five days.

 

Nationwide, Australia has reported about 9,000 COVID-19 cases and 106 deaths from the virus.

 

(Reporting by Byron Kaye, Colin Packham, Renju Jose and Sonali Paul; Editing by Jane Wardell and Kim Coghill)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-07-09

 

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[Don Mega]

Silly mexicans shoulda just followed the government social distancing directives !!

[tribalfusion001]

232 years later and it's still like a prison lol.

[Lacessit]

The threat is now community transmission. The outbreak happened because when restrictions were relaxed, some suburbs took it as carte blanche to start partying. All the suburbs were working class.

As they say, you can't fix stupid.

[ezzra]

Until people will get it that the only way to phase out the virus and put it under control is to practice social distancing, wearing masks and being smart about it, this virus will stay with us at least until a vaccine will be found, tested approved and given out to people, roughly 1 year time... 

[Mavrix]

1 hour ago, Don Mega said:

Silly mexicans shoulda just followed the government social distancing directives !!

Us Mexicans were actually let down by our Govt, as they allowed a BLM rally involving approx 10,000 people who were allowed not to social distance....then 2/3 weeks later as predicted by many experts the number began to spike again.

[Yinn]

6 minutes ago, Mavrix said:

Us Mexicans were actually let down by our Govt, as they allowed a BLM rally involving approx 10,000 people who were allowed not to social distance....then 2/3 weeks later as predicted by many experts the number began to spike again.

Same USA. 

 

Stupid. Fighting the statues.

[simple1]

59 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

The threat is now community transmission. The outbreak happened because when restrictions were relaxed, some suburbs took it as carte blanche to start partying. All the suburbs were working class.

As they say, you can't fix stupid.

Quarantine hotel contract security guards were not trained. The result was 60 became infected with Covid and contributed to the spread of Covid in MLB. Members of the public refusing to be tested, which should have immediately been made illegal; in other words there were a number of contributing factors.

[RickBradford]

If Melburnians want to go out on the streets, they only have to be claim to be holding a Black Lives Matter protest, and they will be given a free pass.

[simple1]

32 minutes ago, RickBradford said:

If Melburnians want to go out on the streets, they only have to be claim to be holding a Black Lives Matter protest, and they will be given a free pass.

Not now, six week lockdown

[Silent Number]

2 hours ago, tribalfusion001 said:

232 years later and it's still like a prison lol.

As is the world. The countries are the cells.

[Mikeasq60]

More testing equals more positive results.

[Stargeezr]

I am glad that Australia has a much more serious response to the Covid virus.

  Hey in the USA the President went to a meeting with the Mexico leader as though

everything is normal and great. What a difference in attitude, and see the USA

is presently number one with the virus, that is even what the bubble headed blonde

spokesperson for the government said recently.  The USA is headed for 200 thousand

deaths from the virus and should reach that number well before Fall.

Good luck to all countries in fighting this virus. I hope there will be a good vaccine

found soon that will be effective.

Geezer

[Mavrix]

2 hours ago, simple1 said:

Not now, six week lockdown

He was being sarcastic ????

[digger70]

6 hours ago, Don Mega said:

Silly mexicans shoulda just followed the government social distancing directives !!

Melbourne Victoria Australia . 

Long way from  Mexicans -  Mexico dude.  ????

[simple1]

2 hours ago, Mavrix said:

He was being sarcastic ????

I believe you, not

[Don Mega]

17 minutes ago, digger70 said:

Melbourne Victoria Australia . 

Long way from  Mexicans -  Mexico dude.  ????

Victoria - South of the Border.

Same same Mexico dude. ????

Edited July 9, 2020 by Don Mega

[Lacessit]

2 hours ago, Don Mega said:

Victoria - South of the Border.

Same same Mexico dude. ????

Sydneysiders have always referred to Melburnians as Mexicans, they compensate for the fact we have straight roads, not a bowl of spaghetti.

The saying is people in Melbourne go to restaurants to eat, Sydney people go to restaurants to be seen.

 

[Lacessit]

7 hours ago, simple1 said:

Quarantine hotel contract security guards were not trained. The result was 60 became infected with Covid and contributed to the spread of Covid in MLB. Members of the public refusing to be tested, which should have immediately been made illegal; in other words there were a number of contributing factors.

No argument from me. The security guard issue was simply about saving money, instead of employing properly trained people.

IMO people refusing testing should be arrested and locked down in 14 day quarantine - at their expense. I mean, they can't hack a cotton bud up their nostril?

[spiekerjozef]

5 hours ago, Mikeasq60 said:

More testing equals more positive results.

So when does the US start testing?

[Traubert]

9 minutes ago, spiekerjozef said:

So when does the US start testing?

I think this thread is about Australia, more specifically, Melbourne.

[digger70]

6 hours ago, Don Mega said:

Victoria - South of the Border.

Same same Mexico dude. ????

Something wrong with you if you say that ????

[Don Mega]

5 minutes ago, digger70 said:

Something wrong with you if you say that ????

funny you should say that, everytime I call a Victorian a Mexican on Facebook I cop a 30day ban for inciting racial hatred !!

[digger70]

16 minutes ago, Don Mega said:

funny you should say that, everytime I call a Victorian a Mexican on Facebook I cop a 30day ban for inciting racial hatred !!

Now that's funny, got some of them as well & on TV as you know .????