SYDNEY: Australia’s second-most populous city will enter a five-day snap coronavirus lockdown, authorities stated on Friday, barring spectators for much of the Australian Open tennis tournament.
A fresh COVID-19 cluster linked to a quarantined hotel in Melbourne, the capital of Victoria state, reached 13 cases as of Thursday midnight, as authorities rushed to quash the spread of the virus. All of those infections were linked to the highly contagious UK variant.
Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews announced the lockdown for the state, beginning at midnight on Friday, calling it a “short, sharp circuit breaker” banning public gatherings, home auctions, weddings, and religious gatherings.
“We should assume that there are further cases in the community than we have positive results for and that it’s moving at a velocity that has not been seen anywhere in our nation over the course of these last 12 months,” Andrews informed reporters, noting the high transmission rate of the UK variant.
Asked about the Australian Open, which runs through Feb. 21, the premier stated the Grand Slam tournament, one of the biggest events within the nation’s sports calendar, was considered a workplace, subject to lockdown restrictions.
“There are no fans. There are no crowds. These people are essentially at their office,” he stated. “The minimum number of staff for it to be run safely, not only for the virus however other reasons, will be there.”
The event had already been limited to 50 p.c of usual capacity and was dogged by earlier complaints from some international players, who were forced to spend critical preparation time in quarantine.
Event organizers confirmed the tournament would proceed without crowds over the next 5 days with no fans allowed at the match sites.
Spectators would, however, be able to attend games scheduled for Thursday whereas those who had bought tickets to restricted events would get a refund, the organizers stated in a press release.
“Australian Open sessions today and tonight will proceed as planned with COVID safe protocols in place,” it stated.
Other states including Queensland, Western Australia, and Tasmania which have practically eliminated the virus, closed their borders to Victoria. The most populous state of New South Wales, which recorded the 26th day with zero community cases on Friday, has so far kept its borders open.
Victoria endured one of the world’s strictest and longest lockdowns last yr after an outbreak that killed more than 800 within the state, the vast majority of the national demise toll.
The head of Australia’s business lobby group expressed frustration on the fresh lockdown, calling it a “bitter disappointment for the whole community.”
“That is the second lockdown caused by Victoria’s hotel quarantine system, it must not be as long and destructive as the final,” Business Council Chief Executive Jennifer Westacott stated. “We should get hotel quarantine working properly.”
Extra broadly, Australia has been among the world’s most successful nations in handling the pandemic, largely because of decisive lockdowns and borders sealed to all but a trickle of travelers, with some 22,200 community cases and 909 deaths.
However, its quarantine hotels, where all international arrivals should spend two weeks, have been a weak link in its defenses with the latest Melbourne cluster another example.
Premier Andrews proposed tightening Australia’s citizen repatriation program to compassionate reasons only, a move that might get some help from other states that have had the UK strain.
Ahead of the lockdown announcement, Prime Minister Scott Morrison offered his government’s full support for Victoria’s decisions on containing the outbreak.
Melbourne enters new Covid lockdown
