KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 27 — Melbourne, the capital of Victoria state in Australia, is ready to reopen after 112 days of lockdown, according to BBC.
Victoria state registered more than 700 daily Covid-19 cases in July. So far, Australia has recorded 905 deaths. A total of 90 per cent of the death cases occurred in Victoria state.
Stricter curfew and movement restriction measures have finally brought the daily reported cases to zero in the state.
“With zero cases and so much testing over the weekend, we are able to say that now is the time to open up,” Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews was quoted saying.
“Fundamentally, this belongs to every single Victorian who has followed the rules, stayed the course, worked with me and my team, to bring this second wave to an end.”
In the first phase after easing lockdown measures on October 28, five million people in Melbourne were allowed to leave their homes freely. Restaurants, bars, and retails stores are permitted to re-open by accommodating only 10 people in the premises.
Weddings and gatherings can be conducted with 10 people, whereas funerals will accommodate 20 people. Household visits are also allowed with conditions.
Starting from November 8, people from Melbourne will be allowed to travel other parts of Victoria as the 25 km travel ban will be lifted. Gyms and fitness centres will begin operating. More people will be allowed to dine-in at restaurants.
This is the first time Melbourne reported zero cases ever since the second Covid-19 outbreak was detected in June. The city encountered a serious public health crisis, while other parts of the nation recorded lower or even zero daily Covid-19 cases.
“Europe and the US are facing enormously high numbers. In Victoria, we had an isolated outbreak pretty much just in Melbourne, and the rest of the country had extremely low, and in many states zero, numbers,” Professor Sharon Lewin, director of the Doherty Institute in Melbourne was quoted as saying.
“We had absolutely no choice but to go into a significant lockdown if we were going to rejoin the rest of the country, and that gave us motivation.”
