Melbourne under strict lockdown as coronavirus cases surge

Measures include night-time curfew; rest of Victoria will also be under tougher restrictions

Shoppers queueing yesterday outside a Costco outlet in Melbourne to stock up after the city was placed under the toughest "stage four" restrictions that, among other things, prohibit residents from leaving their homes between 8pm and 5am.
Shoppers queueing yesterday outside a Costco outlet in Melbourne to stock up after the city was placed under the toughest "stage four" restrictions that, among other things, prohibit residents from leaving their homes between 8pm and 5am. PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

MELBOURNE • Tough new restrictions, including a night-time curfew, were introduced in Melbourne yesterday evening, as coronavirus cases and deaths continued to mount in the city and Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews declared a "state of disaster".

Melbourne has been placed under so-called "stage four" restrictions - the toughest seen in Australia so far - following the failure of a citywide lockdown that began early last month to curb the spread of the virus.

The rest of Victoria state, of which Melbourne is the capital, will move from Thursday to the same stage three restrictions that had been applied in Melbourne.

The heightened restrictions will be in force until Sept 13.

The tough step came as the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned on Saturday that the coronavirus pandemic is likely to be lengthy, and highlighted the risk of "response fatigue", given the socioeconomic pressures on countries, after a meeting of its emergency committee.

"The pandemic is a once-in-a-century health crisis, the effects of which will be felt for decades to come," WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reportedly told the panel, which recommended a sustained attack on the virus on all fronts.

The stage four restrictions in Melbourne will see the imposition of a curfew that prohibits residents from leaving their homes between 8pm and 5am every night, except for work or caregiving.

In addition, limits have been set that will restrict shoppers to within 5km of their homes. Only one person from a household will be able to shop at a time, and only once a day.

Leaving the house to exercise will be permitted for only one hour a day within a 5km radius, while recreational activities such as fishing and golf have been banned.

Restaurants and cafes are permitted to continue to offer takeaway and home delivery, and liquor shops will remain open.

But further restrictions targeting workplaces will be announced today, which could lead to the closure of non-essential businesses.

Most students in Melbourne will go back to online learning from midnight on Wednesday, while weddings will be banned. Funerals will continue to be allowed with a maximum of 10 mourners.

The heightened restrictions in Victoria mean restaurants, cafes, bars and gyms will close from 11.59pm on Wednesday, with people allowed to leave home only for essential work, study, care and needed supplies.

"The time for leniency, the time for warnings and cautions, is over," Mr Andrews said yesterday. "If you are not at home and you should be, if you have the virus and are just going about your business, you will be dealt with harshly. Lives are at stake."

He said 671 new coronavirus cases were detected in Victoria over a 24-hour period, with 6,322 active infections in the state. Seven more people died, taking the state's death toll to 123. Australia's total infections reached almost 18,000 yesterday, with 208 deaths.

The state of disaster declaration gives the police greater powers and allows the authorities to suspend Acts of Parliament.

The federal government backed Victoria's measures, with Prime Minister Scott Morrison saying in a post on his Facebook page that they were "regrettably necessary".

Australia is not the only country toughening its response amid the pandemic. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is reportedly considering sealing off Greater London and ordering at-risk members of the population to stay at home under a potential scenario designed to avert a second national lockdown.

Meanwhile, President Rodrigo Duterte has approved placing Metro Manila and nearby provinces under a so-called "Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine" for two weeks from midnight tomorrow. The country saw a record single-day rise in new infections of 5,032 yesterday.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS, BLOOMBERG

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on August 03, 2020, with the headline Melbourne under strict lockdown as coronavirus cases surge. Subscribe