Source: ABCnews
Melbourne has endured more time in lockdown than any other city in the world after roughly eight months.
The city, passing into its 246th day under stay-at-home orders on Monday, claims the dubious title from the Argentinean capital of Buenos Aires.
By October 26, when it’s hoped 70 per cent of the state’s over 15’s will be fully vaccinated, triggering rule relaxations for the protected, Melburnians will have racked up more than 260 days at home since the coronavirus pandemic hit last year.
It’s a bitter milestone to pass as Victoria regularly records more than 1000 new cases a day two months into Melbourne’s sixth lockdown — significantly higher than even the worst day of last year’s 112-day confinement.
But the Delta variant has proven seemingly impossible to eradicate since it took hold in Sydney, which has itself just marked 100 days of stay-at-home orders, in June.Melbourne’s record-breaking lockdown is costing the state economy $700 million a week.
Australian Industry Group’s chief executive Innes Willox said the record was a “pretty grim” milestone for what has previously been known as one of the world’s most liveable cities. “It’s the record nobody would want, the record no-one expected,” he told Today. “Melbourne’s a sad, tired place at the moment. “It’s two emotions running through the place. Fear and defiance. “The Premier’s made it clear he will extend that if he needs to. That’s not very heartening for people as we break a world record.”
Mr Willox said Melbourne faced a “really tough” road to recovery.”It’s not going to be a sort of snapback or another V-shaped recovery, particularly in Melbourne,” he said.
“It’s going to take a long time. Melbourne’s lost all of the attributes that made it strong – events, strong culture, the education sector.”
The CBD is just sort of a graffitied wasteland. There is a lot of work to restore confidence. Business confidence is low. Consumer confidence is low.
“It is going to take a huge effort to get together and really reimagine Victoria.”Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has justified his capital’s continuing lockdown, saying there was little alternative to keep the virus at bay.
“I simply say how proud I am of every Victorian for giving so much, for working so hard, to save lives to get through this,” he said yesterday.
“It has been bloody tough, we know that, but the Victorian community have been so, so impressive along the way.”
But those on the other side of politics have been far less positive in marking the global milestone.
“Lockdowns are not a sign of policy success, they’re a sign of policy failure,” state Opposition Leader Matthew Guy said.
Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, going a few days early, said people had “had enough” of “the longest lockdown in the world here in Melbourne”.
“People are at their wit’s end. They want their kids back at school. They want businesses to reopen,” he said.
“They are getting the jab in record numbers because they believe that’s the part of the pact they have with their governments, federal and state, that when they get the jab, the restrictions will ease and that is what state governments need to provide.”
Some counts put Tuesday as Melbourne’s official date to claim the lockdown crown and there are also varying interpretations about what exactly constitutes a “lockdown”.
In parts of Italy and Spain people were blocked from exercising and had to pick one household member to do the grocery shopping, while in other parts of Europe residents skated through without exercise time or travel distance limits.
The Oxford Covid-19 Government Response Tracker, run out of the Blavatnik School of Government, currently lists Australia and New Zealand in the top 20 for lockdown strictness judged off the measures in place in the most locked down region.
It appears vaccinated Melburnians will need to wait about two weeks longer than their neighbours in Sydney to enjoy greater pandemic freedoms.Argentinian authorities, meanwhile, have begun speaking about the “last stage” of the pandemic and will allow all tourists back in November.
“We are in a very positive moment, we know that the pandemic has not ended, we have to maintain care,” Health Minister Carla Vizzotti said about two weeks ago, according to Reuters.
