Residents of the public housing towers claim they were given little warning of the lock down, leaving them no time to gather groceries. 9News
to protect the 3000 people inside from contracting coronavirus."It was a little bit stressful, there is no communication," Mr Mangesha said.
Girmay Mangesha says he went without food for 24 hours because residents inside the public housing towers were given little notice about the lockdowns. He attempted to leave the building before the lockdown came into force but says police stopped him from leaving."There was a lot of police officers in the lobby. I didn't think, until that moment, until we were asked to go back to our room - I thought there were there to arrest someone.
Mr Mangesha said he thought qualified health officers would have been sent in to deal with the situation instead of police "so that everyone understands what is going on". He is now confined to his room along with the rest of building's residents until the order is lifted but there are fears the initial five-day period may be extended if the virus continues to spread throughout Melbourne."They told us to stay in our room. If we want to go to our lounge, four people are allowed at a time. Otherwise we have to stay in the room.""Do it with dignity. Do it in a humane way. The way that they did it is unbelievable, unwise and unacceptable.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Anger in Melbourne as COVID-free towers are locked downResidents angry after the government admits some towers under lockdown do not have confirmed coronavirus cases.
Read more »
Anger in Melbourne as COVID-free towers are locked down'It’s literally like a prison, no backyard, nowhere to go,' said a volunteer with the Australian Muslim Social Services Agency. 'Those people shouldn’t be subjected to that treatment, particularly if they’re not carrying the virus.'
Read more »
'A very obvious risk': Flemington flats residents decry government inactionResidents of the Flemington towers have vented their frustration with the Andrews government over their five-day hard lockdown, saying that outbreaks were foreseeable in the density populated towers.
Read more »
$136k raised after Melbourne apartment blocks sent into immediate lockdownA fundraiser organised by the Victorian Trades Hall Council succeeded in raising the sum – about half of the total goal – by 6am today, within hours of the closures being announced. 9News
Read more »
'It'll be five hard days': Extreme lockdown in Melbourne's public housing towers beginsMuhammad Al-Awad, who lives in one of Melbourne's public housing towers, was out shopping when he learnt about the 'hard lockdown' order. It was the last time he would step outside his front door for at least five days
Read more »
$117k raised after Melbourne apartment blocks sent into immediate lockdownNine public housing towers across two Melbourne suburbs have been placed under immediate lockdown, amid fears of a coronavirus outbreak. 9News
Read more »