Editorial: New outbreaks of COVID-19 in Victoria have put an end to a national approach to opening up, and are causing plenty of new headaches for decision-makers
The first glimpse of the enormous impact COVID-19 would have was a local lockdown. It was January 23, when residents of Wuhan, the Chinese city of 11 million people, were ordered to stay indoors for an indefinite time. The abandoned streetscapes shocked the world as the government used its full authoritarian powers to enforce the stay-at-home restrictions.
Victoria is feeling the full impact of that risk as it puts large swathes of suburban Melbourne back onto stage three restrictions and nine public housing towers into full lockdown to slow down a new surge of infections. It is a city divided and Australia, a country divided. Victoria's outbreak has put an end to a national approach to opening up, and is causing plenty of new headaches. State border closures that were being relaxed are having to introduce provisions for hot-spot suburbs, sporting codes are rescheduling and rehousing teams, and the travel bubble with New Zealand just got a whole lot harder.And the logistics of having to look after 3000 people locked up in the public housing towers are formidable.
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.
'Everybody gets it': Report on heightened suicide risk points to hopeMichelle Portlock is one of the human faces behind warnings Australia faces a mental health and suicide crisis fuelled by the triple-whammy of the pandemic, lockdown isolation and recession | niltiac
Read more »
'Dealing with the weirdness': Telstra braces for the new normalTelstra head of networks, Nikos Katinakis, just might be the most overworked executive in the telco’s management roster, given the workload its networks continue to endure since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic
Read more »
How Victoria's quarantine system has potentially left other states vulnerableEvery state has implemented strict guidelines for quarantining returning travellers during the coronavirus pandemic, but Victoria’s system is different and it could have big consequences.
Read more »
Has Victoria's outbreak caused Andrews' crown to slip?As infected Victorians from Melbourne’s hotspots start to appear in other states and territories, much to the annoyance of the authorities there, Daniel Andrews and his government are attracting national headlines, the sort they do not want.
Read more »
Coronavirus Australia update LIVE: Global cases surpass 11.1 million, two more postcodes and nine public housing towers in lockdown in Victoria; Australia death toll at 104COVID-19 continues to spread both in Australia and around the globe with over 11.1 million cases reported.
Read more »
Will Victoria's harsh lockdown of public housing buildings work?The major escalation in Victoria's coronavirus crisis comes as a major imposition on about 3,000 residents in Melbourne's north, but strict lockdowns like this have worked to suppress outbreaks in China, writes Casey Briggs.
Read more »