(Melbourne) Only “essential” businesses opened their doors Thursday morning in Melbourne, as Australia's second largest city entered its phase of strictest containment in an attempt to contain the spread of the second wave epidemic.
Posted on August 6 2020 at 6 a.m. 43
France Media Agency
The streets were also much quieter than usual when we entered this phase which was supposed to last six weeks.
Australia was praised for its effective management of the first wave of the epidemic. But a few new outbreaks of contamination in June in Melbourne and its region have spiraled out of control.
The state of Victoria, which now records several hundred cases a day, has gradually tightened measures.
A nighttime curfew, from 20 a.m. to 5 a.m., was imposed at the start of the week.
Residents still have the right to leave their homes during the day to play sports, go shopping or work, if their work is considered “essential”.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that this re-containment would cost the Australian economy nine billion dollars and bring the unemployment rate to 08% .
“It is very frustrating to see that the contamination figures do not drop sharply, but it is true that the State has managed to avoid the exponential increase in the number of cases which has been seen in some countries”, said Erin Smith of Edith Cowan University.
The gradual tightening of restrictions has created confusion among some residents, who are struggling to navigate the derogations and exceptions that accompany these measures.
The local channels link up practical broadcasts to enable residents to understand what is authorized and what is not, and in particular the quotas of workers on construction sites or in slaughterhouses.
Australia on Thursday recorded 484 new cases of coronavirus and eight deaths, bringing the national total to nearly 20 000 0 contaminations, and 255 dead.
