Melbourne enters first day out of its sixth lockdown despite raging local transmission

Melbourne enters first day out of its sixth lockdown despite raging local transmission
October 22, 2021, 2:20 am

Australia-Melbourne-Intersection/Pixabay

The Xinhua reported, Australia's second-largest city of Melbourne entered the first day out of its sixth lockdown on Friday despite the local transmission of coronavirus remains severe.

It said that Melbourne residents, who have experienced 262 days in lockdown, are excited to brace "freedom" as its sixth lockdown was lifted from 11:59 pm Thursday local time.

Local media reported, thousands of excited residents flocked to local pubs, the beaches and even on their balconies to ring in the first seconds out of lockdown.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said he expected to announce the removal of more restrictions when the state hit the next major vaccination milestone. The state, with 70.5 percent of residents aged 16 and over fully vaccinated, is expected to reach 80 percent full vaccination by next weekend.

Andrews also announced to scrap hotel quarantine for fully vaccinated international travelers returning back to Melbourne or coming to Melbourne from Nov. 1.

He said: "They'll be able to go home if they are double-vaccinated and if they have tested before the flight and if they get a test within 24 hours of arriving home. This means that we will reduce our hotel quarantine program down to just a handful of hotels."

At the same time, the state recorded 2,189 new locally acquired cases and 16 deaths on Friday, another day in this week with over 2,000 daily cases and the deadliest day in the current wave of outbreak.

There are 23,230 active cases in the state with 784 in hospitals, among them 145 are in intensive care units (ICUs) and 94 are ventilated.

Victorian Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton warned that the state may see increasing local transmission after opening up, and urged residents to keep alert to the virus.

He said: "As we start to reopen, there will be more COVID-19 (cases) in the community really than at any other point in time, so we have to bear in mind those other really important protections. Checking in, wearing a mask will be really important, and on days like today, opening every door and window in sight to let that fresh air through."

Source: xinhua

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