Melbourne begins 5-day lockdown
13 February, 2021
Australia's second-largest town of Melbourne went from welcoming a large number of fans for its Grand Slam tennis tournament to deserted metropolis streets overnight, as millions started out a five-evening coronavirus lockdown.
The town was quiet on Saturday morning, with a little number of joggers seen darting through metropolis center, as the capital of the state of Victoria entered its third lockdown because the pandemic began.
Under the new procedures, which arrived place at midnight on Friday, residents have to stay home except for a restricted number of permitted fundamental activities.
Although the Australian Open will play on without crowds, the ban on spectators would hurt tennis fans and players as well, Melbourne local Carrie Smith told AFP.
"They (Australian Open up tennis players) were all saying how much they enjoyed having some kind of audience there rather than having which will be different for them," Smith said.
Another tennis fan, Justin Carwardine, similarly said he was sad to start to see the Grand Slam lose the spark that crowds bring.
"It isn't the romance of the players in fact playing, it is the romance of hearing the group cheering and roaring," Carwardine said.
But both, and also other locals who spoke to AFP, said they supported the way the virus had been handled.
"I think we spent additional time in our houses than outside... it's a whole lot," Alice Clarke told AFP. "But whatever we have to do, I support."
The state recorded one new case of COVID-19 on Saturday, bringing the total cases within an outbreak of the UK strain to 14.
The virus initially leaked from an airport resort casing international travelers undergoing mandatory quarantine.
Express Premier Daniel Andrews said authorities were performing beneath the assumption that the outbreak had spread in to the community undetected.
"We know this is moving really, really fast. However, all my information is that strategy is accurately the right thing to do," Andrews said.
Melbourne spent a lot more than 100 days under lockdown this past year to crush a youthful outbreak that contaminated thousands and killed hundreds.
The most recent cases end months of the town remaining virtually virus-free.
Two other Australian point out capitals, Brisbane in the east and Perth in the west, recently underwent similar snap lockdowns in response to cases of the UK strain leaking from hotel quarantine.
In both instances, the outbreak was quickly contained.
Australia has been among the world's most successful countries found in containing the coronavirus, with 909 deaths in a population of over 25 million.
Source: japantoday.com