Melbourne shines again: end to eight-month lockdown

Melbourne has lifted this Friday most of the restrictions imposed because of covid, ending one of the longest lockdowns in the world, during which its inhabitants have had to spend more than 260 days in detention intermittently – eight months – in their homes. Currently, with a 70% of the vaccinated population, a large part of the restrictions initiated with the sixth lockdown have been lifted.

The Australian city is brimming with optimism, as indicated by the Victorian State Leader Dan Andrews: “I’m proud, really proud of this state“, he insisted, encouraging his citizens to” go out “and” cut their hair, order food or buy a friend a drink. “

Melbourne, a city that has always been characterized by its great activity artistic, cultural and his nightlife, had stopped glowing after a total of six lockdowns since the outbreak of the pandemic. The last one started on August 5. During 2021, it has lost the aura of the best city to live in Australia for the violent protests against restrictions and the resident flight to other covid-free cities.

Back to work

The end of the confinement is a breath of fresh air for the owners of bars, restaurants, beauty salons and hairdressers, which celebrate the return of customers and the reactivation his business. “People have gone crazy to try to book and they ask, please, if we can make a space for them ‘”, declares Marcela Rodríguez, co-founder of the restaurant Come on fitzroy in the Latin Quarter of Melbourne. So much so, that some hairdressers in the city have registered queues since 4.30 in the morning of citizens eager to get a haircut.

“We are waiting to start celebrating well. We are going to go crazy,” explains George, a cafe owner who had not seen his friends for so long that he had “forgotten what they looked like.” Tonight the inhabitants will no longer have to comply with the night curfew and groups of up to 10 people can meet indoors, although the capacity in exteriors and interiors will continue partially limited.

But large queues are not only expected in bars and hairdressers, Victoria authorities have alerted hospitals that may come under “intense pressure” for the decision to reopen despite the fact that the covid is still active, with more than 2,000 new cases every day.

Partial freedom

Despite all the optimism and the desire for celebrations, freedom is not complete yet. Residents cannot leave the city and non-essential goods stores remain closed until the vaccination rate does not reach 80% of the population, probably in weeks.

Likewise, they will remain in force limitations for the operation of cafes, bars and restaurants, complicating life for its owners, who also have to deal with the lack of workers caused by almost a year and a half of closing international borders.

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It is planned that the state of Victoria withdraws the mandatory quarantine for travelers from other countries in the last days of OctoberWhile New South Wales, where the city of Sydney is located, will wait until November 1.

The lifting of restrictions in Victoria, where The authorities confirmed this Friday 2,189 community infections and 16 deaths, is given under a turn in national politics with the aim of reopening the country and that put an end to the ironclad strategy of decreeing brief and localized confinements by detecting a few cases.