Strict controls in Melbourne extended as cases persist

A HARD lockdown in Melbourne, the capital of Australia’s coronavirus hotspot state of Victoria, will be extended through September, with some restrictions lasting until at least late October, it was announced after the infection rate declined more slowly than hoped.

Melbourne’s stage 4 restrictions, in place since early August, shut most of the economy, limited people’s movements to a tight zone around their homes for one hour a day and imposed a night-time curfew.

They had been due to end on Sept 13, but Daniel Andrews, the state premier, said that would be too soon. “We cannot open up at this time. If we were to, we would lose control very quickly,” he told a televised media conference.

However, the rules will be loosened. The curfew will begin an hour later at 9pm, people can go outdoors for two hours instead of one, and those living alone will be allowed to have a visitor. Mr Andrews said further restrictions could be eased from Sept 28.

It comes after anti-lockdown protests turned violent on Saturday. Police charged a protester with assault after an officer suffered cuts to the head during a rally in Melbourne, and more than 160 fines were issued for contravening lockdown measures.

Victoria, Australia’s second most populous state, has been the epicentre of a second wave of Covid-19, now accounting for about 75 per cent of the country’s 26,282 cases and 90 per cent of its 753 deaths. Mr Andrews said restrictions were necessary to avoid a third wave by mid-november. But residents are growing frustrated, with half a million jobs lost due to the pandemic.

The federal government has blamed the lockdown in Victoria for dragging Australia deeper into recession, while other states have largely reopened. Scott Morrison, the prime minister, said it was “hard and crushing news for the people of Victoria”.