It was no surprise for those of us familiar with the Victorian health department that at times it struggled to cope during the pandemic. In case you missed it, the Sydney removalists who carried the virus to an apartment block in the Melbourne suburb of Maribyrnong have not been as forthcoming as authorities would like regarding the details of their trip. On Friday 7th January 2022, 21,728 cases were recorded in Victoria, However at 9.18am on Saturday 8th January 2022, the Victoria Department of Health twitted out that the number of new cases was 51,356. Authorities confirmed seven cases were linked, Covid rule that was an atrocious mistake. , to be implemented by state governments: a ban on non-essential indoor gatherings of 100 or more people (including staff); a ban on outdoor gatherings of 500 or more people to continue in place; people only consider travel when it is essential; strict visitation rules for aged care facilities including a limit of two visitors a day and preferably no children under 16 years of age; social distancing measures of 1.5 metres; and. Its a nightmare, she says. Among the potential exposure sites are a major Melbourne shopping centre and an AFL game. We should absolutely acknowledge that [lockdown] was bad and a lot of people suffered, but a lot of people are also alive now because of it, she says. "I am highlighting that the risk is ever present and remember, what I'm reading you today is what has happened overnight so tomorrow, there might be different sites," Dr Chant said. Now that has ended too. Prime Minister Scott Morrison this week urged states not to re-introduce mask mandates, saying Australians should by this point in the pandemic know when and when not to wear a face covering. Its been revealed when Australia will experience the next Covid surge, but one state is expected to reach its peak much sooner than the rest. Mr Byrne said that trend extended to Melbourne's outer suburbs, where lower socio-economic communities had been among the first to go into lockdown this time around. By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from Time Out about news, events, offers and partner promotions. The NSW government cancels all major events of more than 500 people. Its important to appreciate the experiences across the states and territories in the pandemic have been as different as Swan Lager is to Victoria Bitter. Residents attending major events with more than 30,000 spectators will also have to wear a face mask. Ms Berejiklian said the impact of some of the more recent changes wouldn't be known for at least a few more days. Massive gas tanker crashes in Maryland and EXPLODES into fireball killing the driver and setting local What will the next pandemic be? She was appointed as an independent advisor on the AstraZeneca covid vaccine advisory group, Australia. "Were very keen to make sure we get a very firm grip of this as soon as we possibly can.". Worried. Here's how likely you are to get it more than once, Charting the COVID-19 spread: Australia passes 10,000 coronavirus deaths, Self-help author Marianne Williamson launches primary challenge against Joe Biden for 2024 Democratic nomination, Chinese migrants walked a gruelling 500km to Victoria's goldfields in the 19th century. The Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry's acting chief executive Scott Veenker said customer numbers were dwindling across hospitality and events sectors, and the surge in infections was also putting pressure on staffing. "There's going to be friction between people, because different people are going be to making a decision on the basis of their own risk profiles," he said. Despite enduring one of the longest aggregate periods of strict lockdown in the world, the Victorian community by and large hung in there. Authorities confirmed seven cases were linked to a returned family and a crew of removalists, who both came into the state from NSW. This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, AAP, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced. To access medical care or provide caregiving. Victorian Liberal deputy leader David Southwick said the restrictions had placed increased pressure on businesses. NSW has recorded 97 new Covid-19 cases in the 24 hours to 8pm last night. This brings the total number of infections in NSW to 864. "If you're fully vaccinated then your life will be back to normal, you'll be able to enjoy all of the things that you have yearned for and miss and desperately worked so hard for," Mr Andrews said as the state arrived at its 90 per cent vaccination target. You can find Tuesday's blog here. Up to 20 people at an indoor funeral or 30 for an outdoor funeral; and, Attend places of worship and attend a funeral with up to 49 others; and. "That really reinforces the message that whenever you leave the house, you've got to assume you can come into contact with someone who is infectious with covid.". Melbourne exits its sixth lockdown, after 263 cumulative days. Victoria announces tough new lockdown measures, including the 5km rule and an overnight curfew. 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Other business owners say they are finding this summer more difficult than previous seasons because there was no financial aid available. Almost 2,700 passengers aboard the Ruby Princess cruise ship are permitted to leave the ship in Sydney without being tested for Covid-19. We paid the price [of lockdown], we bought the government time to build capacity in our health services. The Herald Sun reports the state government is holding high-level meetings this afternoon to weigh up whether to reimpose restrictions across Melbourne, with an announcement expected as early as Thursday. The public servant, 25, contracted Covid along with 16 others at a house party late last month. The messy family drama behind one of the world's biggest K-pop empires, as the wave of infections sends staff into isolation at the same time COVID-19 patients are growing, Victorian hospitalisations surge to 631 as state records nearly 22,000 new infections, Timely reminder: How to respond if you test positive to COVID-19. So we need to all play our part in taking this incredibly seriously. There will be another pandemic and potentially this will occur sooner than we all would like. The government chose not to bring in those changes at the time, arguing their introduction could hurt businesses and potentially undermine public confidence in the government's pandemic response. NSW announces more of its restrictions will ease, allowing people in the state to: Then-NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian announces that from July 1, the following will be allowed: Victoria announcespostcodes 3038, 3064, 3047, 3060, 3012, 3032, 3055, 3042, 3021 and 3046 will go back into lockdown from July 2. But as a wave of Omicron infections wreaks havoc across workplaces and the healthcare system, data suggests Victorians are voting with their feet and staying close to home. It has fully vaccinated over 92% of those aged 12 and above at the time of writing. AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time), abc.net.au/news/victoria-melbourne-covid-shadow-lockdown-cbd-mobility/100753496, Help keep family & friends informed by sharing this article. The risk is too high: Ashleigh Cooper, who is disabled and immunocompromised, went into self-isolation two weeks ago. "But if you are in certain areas where you know you are in even greater risk, as low as four weeks is acceptable. But if we were to say it is all too hard lets stop isolating, lets stop getting tested, lets stop acting based on symptoms, then we would not have one thousand people in hospital, we would have many, many thousands. Victoria on Thursday confirmed another 2,005 new infections and ten deaths - up from the 1,503 cases recorded on Wednesday. "And they're going to disagree whether that's employers or family members or friends when you go to cancel a social engagementbecause you don't want to go out and catch Omicron. How did it come to this? lifting work restrictions on 20,000 student nurses so they can be engaged to help respond to the pandemic. While session tickets were capped at 50 per cent last week, the opening day saw 25,206 attendees on Monday. Some people are going to get chronic illness from that, and we are in our 20s, she says. "And that trend is something that we're seeing all across the city.". We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work. This article was originally written on July 4, 2022 and has since been updated and fact-checked. The lockdown will be in place until 11.59pm on June 3, with the following restrictions also coming into effect: People must remain within a 5km radius of their home when shopping or. While he said part of it would be due to Omicron hitting essential workers and those on lower incomes harder, it also spoke to that community's hard-learnt appreciation of the "perils of this virus". National Cabinet agrees that the states will close: Melbourne distiller Gypsy Hub is the first (that we know of) to pivot to making hand sanitiser. Milly*, a young woman from Melbourne, says that two years of going in and out of lockdown has caused a downshift in her lifestyle that feels akin to being retired. What have we learnt since then? Mr Morrison told day that with the arrival of Omicron, and Australia's high vaccination numbers, the government's approach had "shifted gears". Mr Andrews did not appear at Thursday's Covid press conference but did briefly interrupt his holiday to attend Wednesday's national cabinet meeting. But the state as a whole has been sealed off from neighbouring New South Wales and South Australia. The uptake of COVID vaccines by Victorians was nothing short of remarkable. The thought of lockdown again is what is giving me a lot of anxiety and a lot of dread it scares me, says Melbourne man James Burke. But perhaps most frustrating was the news that the crew have not been cooperating with contact tracers who only today found out there were two trucks involved. And please, do not leave your home unless it is absolutely essential.". Under the testing change, those who test positive on a RAT will be considered "probable" cases and must isolate immediately for seven days and notify their contacts. Until today I had not thought that that was a serious option, now Im reconsidering. When I have been asked for my opinion I have said that we will be free to have summer and then we will go back into lockdown in March. Far fewer know their real story. Daniel Andrews must end this shadow lockdown and stop imposing 2020 style restrictions on family run cafes, retailers, restaurants and businesses and must immediately provide the support needed for their survival.. "We are will have to vaccinate again against Covid and will have further advice about boosters but in the context of an outbreak, what we want to do is give people the advice so that they are protected.". The federal government announces these measures, to be implemented by state governments: Australia closes its borders to everyone who is not a resident or citizen. . Many issues quickly became clear, such as the understaffing of aged-care centres and infection control practices, along with the lack of the proper accountability by government for these facilities. Nationwide News Pty Ltd 2023. The comments below have not been moderated. COVID in Victoria: 262 days in lockdown, 3 stunning successes and 4 avoidable failures Published: December 16, 2021 2.11pm EST Hassan Vally Associate Professor, Deakin University Catherine. Kakadu National Park rangers in war against feral animals as populations boom, Shoe polish stands begin to vanish, lose their shine, A Nazi-hunting nun, an accused murderer, a theatre legend: This Australian actor plays them all, Macron says no 'double standards' between Ukraine and Africa as Congo leader urges France to back sanctions against Rwanda, They can be cheeky, nippy, and playful but these camels are also helping put a business on the map, Neurodivergent children are three times more likely to drown than their peers this class is working to change that, Mooney's Aussies humbled in Gujarat loss in WPL opener, A sea of colour as WorldPride takes over Sydney Harbour Bridge. That would be very challenging not just for Covid patients but for everybody else who needs a hospital bed.. Victoria will not be sent back into lockdown despite a surge in cases linked to the hyper-contagious Omicron Covid strain, the state's deputy premier has vowed. A man who had flown from Guandong, China, to Melbourne on January 19, 2020, tests positive for Covid-19, becoming Australias first confirmed case. The Premier said it isn't "fair" to compare the two. "These relatively mild restrictions are about making sure that activity can continue but in a less congregated and less active space.". Melbourne extends sixth virus lockdown Almost seven million people in Melbourne and surrounding Victoria state were scheduled to exit a four-week lockdown on Thursday, but state premier Dan Andrews said it would no longer be possible with case numbers rising by 92 overnight. Here we are in early January 2022 and its a wet day today (Sunday) in Melbourne, even though its summer. There are other signs, too, that highlight a shift in focus from enjoying the freedoms of a reopened economyto navigating the pressure causedby the rapid rise in Omicron cases.