The inhabitants of Melbourne took advantage of the reopening of the city on Friday, October 22 after one of the longest series of confinements in the world, to go to bars, restaurants or, finally, to the hairdresser.
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“As my kids say, there's a
'big vibe'
today,”
Victoria Premier Dan Andrews joked.
“You can sense the optimism. You can feel the pride in what has been accomplished. ” "I try not to look like a tearful father, but I'm proud, damn proud of this state,"
he added before urging people to
"go out"
and
"get it done." a haircut, order a meal or pay a friend a blow ”
.
Since the start of the pandemic, the five million Melbournais have had to stay locked in their homes for more than 260 days in total.
But now that 70% of eligible people in Melbourne and Victoria are fully vaccinated, restrictions that began on August 5 have been lifted.
In total, six lockdowns got the better of this once bustling city, which has long prided itself on its vibrant arts scene and café culture.
In 2021, Melbourne fell to the top of the ranking of the best cities to live in Australia due to violent protests against the ban on access to the city and the departure of residents to regional cities free of Covid.
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If Melbournais find more freedom, they still cannot leave town and shops remain closed until 80% of eligible people are fully vaccinated, which is expected to happen within a few weeks. The state of Victoria is set to lift the quarantine requirement for foreign visitors at the end of the month, following the example of Sydney and the state of New South Wales which will lift it on November 1.
It's difficult to compare the different lockdowns, which follow very heterogeneous rules - Toronto has banned dining out for more than 360 days, Buenos Aires has applied very severe restrictions for much of 2020 - but Melbourne is one. cities that have spent the most days under the obligation to stay at home.
Australia has so far managed to avert a massive coronavirus outbreak, recording 150,000 cases and 1,500 deaths for a population of 25 million.
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Authorities in Victoria state have warned that hospitals are likely to be under
"intense pressure"
after the decision to reopen despite a resurgence of the epidemic with 2,232 new cases recorded on Thursday.
But after having sought to avoid any case in its territory, Melbourne is following the example of Sydney which abandons the “zero Covid” strategy after failing to contain the highly contagious Delta variant.