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(Melbourne) All non-essential businesses will have to close their doors as of Thursday in Melbourne, one more measure to try to stem the progression of the coronavirus outbreak in Australia's second-largest city, where a nighttime curfew has come into effect.
Daniel Andrews, Prime Minister of the state of Victoria, of which Melbourne is the capital, announced on Monday that most businesses are expected to close as of Wednesday evening, midnight. Supermarkets, pharmacies and liquor stores are among the businesses that will benefit from an exemption.
These measures are the most restrictive taken since the start of the epidemic in Australia. Authorities hope they will save a million residents from commuting to work, as hundreds of new cases continue to be identified every day in and around Melbourne, despite an orderly containment there. has several weeks.
"It's heartbreaking to have to shut down workplaces, [...] but it's what must be done to stop the progress this wildly contagious virus, this deadly virus, "Andrews told a press conference.
"These six weeks are absolutely critical. "
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Certain sectors such as meat production or construction will have to reduce their operations as of Friday. Slaughterhouses should only operate at two-thirds of their capacity.
Mr. Andrews urged residents to keep calm and not go robbing supermarkets.
"I cannot guarantee that every product will be available in the quantities you wish to purchase. But there will be enough to meet everyone's needs. "
The authorities have imposed since Sunday evening a night curfew in Melbourne, whose inhabitants are not allowed to travel to more than five kilometers from home.
It is now mandatory to stay at home of 16 a.m. to 5 a.m. every night until 13 September. Only people performing essential trades, providing care or seeking to receive it can leave their homes.
Offenders are subject to a fine of 1330 Australian dollars, the police increasing the number of patrols
" It's difficult "
These drastic measures further isolate Melbourne on an island continent which has globally succeeded in containing the epidemic.
The State of Victoria currently has 6101 active coronavirus cases. He announced 429 new cases and 11 death Monday.
The total number of cases in Australia since the start of the pandemic is 16 00 0, and the number of deaths at 132, for a population of 24 millions of inhabitants.
In Melbourne, weddings are also prohibited, as are religious celebrations. Students, on the other hand, should reconnect with distance education.
"It's difficult, especially when you consider that elsewhere in Australia, people are free to go about their business, and live a life almost normal, "Tracy Skilling, manager of a café, told AFP.
While the huge island-continent had rather managed to contain the epidemic before, Melbourne has seen a resurgence of cases since mid-June.
This new wave has been blamed on breaches of the rules in hotels where travelers returning from abroad undergo their quarantine.
Melbourne's five million people were confined again on July 9 for six weeks in an effort to contain the epidemic.
But the number of cases continued to increase, until it totaled 723 new contaminations in 18 hours last Thursday in the state of Victoria alone. The previous record for new cases the previous Monday was much lower ( 429) and covered the entire territory.
