Melbourne's Final Lockdown to End on Thursday

[maestrob]

As vaccination goals are met, cities in Australia ease restrictions.

Sydney has further eased restrictions after the state of New South Wales passed its target of fully vaccinating 80 percent of the eligible population.

On Monday, thousands of children returned to school after months of home learning and a lockdown that lasted more than 100 days. Up to 20 fully vaccinated people can gather in a private home, and there is no limit on the number of fully vaccinated people who can attend a funeral or wedding.

“Today’s our first day of post-80% life,” Dom Perrottet, the premier of New South Wales, tweeted on Monday. He added: “Do the right thing.”

The easing comes as Australia has moved away from trying to eradicate Covid-19, instead aiming to vaccinate as much of its population as possible.

The goal is to begin to reopen fully once 80 percent of the national population is vaccinated. As of Monday, 56 percent of the country’s population was fully vaccinated, and 72 percent had one dose, according to data from The New York Times.

As part of that strategy, the city of Melbourne — which has endured among the most days in lockdown of any in the world — will lift its stay-at-home orders at 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, when 70 percent of eligible adults are expected to be fully vaccinated.

“There will be no lockdown, no restrictions on leaving home and no curfew,” Daniel Andrews, the premier of Victoria state, of which Melbourne is the capital, told reporters on Sunday. “Victorians have sacrificed so much,” he added, later pledging that the lockdown would be the city’s last.

— Livia Albeck-Ripka

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/10/18 ... nt-vaccine

[Holden Fourth]

Final???? This is Daniel Andrews we are talking about, the man who created the most locked down city in the world.

[barney]

And it's hardly life as normal. No retail except on the street. No arts. No trust in Dictator Dan. I was listening to a chap on the radio this morning. The government announced that entertainment would be allowed for up to 20 fully vaccinated patrons with 4 square metres of space per patron. This chap hired 12 comedians, staff moved forward their second jabs to be ready, one flew back from Perth in a rush (LA to New York distance). Then a COVID marshall checking their safety arrangements noticed that entertainment had been removed from the permitted list. No announcement, just removed. No apology, of course - Andrews is incapable of uttering the word "sorry". In my view this sort of treatment of people who have been scrambling to survive for 19 months is utterly disgraceful.

[maestrob]

Well, gentlemen, at least you haven't buried 750,000+ of your citizens.

I understand your frustration, but we all know about the cost of freedom of movement and association by now, especially with Delta...

I'm just saying.

[barney]

Well we have a fair amount of vaccine hestitancy, Brian, as the phrase de jour has it. But we don't don't have anything like the lunatic GOP. Thank God.