Melbourne lockdown for six weeks in bid to halt coronavirus
AUSTRALIA,(DAILY MAIL),7JULY2020- The whole of Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire north of the city will be placed back into lock down for six weeks from 11.59pm on Wednesday after Victoria recorded 191 new cases of coronavirus - its worst figure yet.
Residents will be only allowed to leave their homes for work and study, giving or receiving care, shopping for essentials and daily exercise near where they live.
Police will stop people leaving Melbourne with roadblocks and booze bus-style vehicle checks, effectively sealing 5million people inside the city.
Gatherings of more than two people who not not live together will be banned, beauty services and entertainment venues will shut; and cafes, restaurants and pubs will be able to offer takeaway only.
Older pupils and special schools will go back to class but schools holidays will be extended by a week for students up to year 10, with remote learning a possibility after that.
Restrictions for the rest of Victoria remain the same but residents can only enter Melbourne for caregiving, essential shopping and work or study.
Premier Daniel Andrews said the new lockdown was essential to avoid ‘thousands and thousands’ of cases and ‘many, many people in hospital.’
‘This is a pandemic and it will kill thousands of people if it gets completely away from us,’ he said.
Chief Health Officer Professor Brett Sutton confirmed 37 new cases are linked to outbreaks and 154 are under investigation, bringing the state’s total to 2,824 cases.
Thirteen new cases are linked to nine Melbourne tower blocks which have suffered 69 cases and been placed under hard lockdown since Saturday, meaning residents cannot leave for any reason without special approval.
It comes as 650 police and 350 soldiers set up road blocks and drones along the 1,000km-long New South Wales-victoria border before it is shut down at midnight tonight for the first time since Spanish Flu struck in 1919.
Meanwhile, residents of the nine locked-down towers said they feel let down by a lack of communication, food and supplies. Some have complained they have had to go hungry because officials have not brought them enough to eat.