Melbourne, facing third coronavirus wave, extends lockdown
- The lockdown in Australian city extended by two weeks with some restrictions eased
- The city of 4.9 million people has been under tight lockdown restrictions since August 8
Australian officials on Sunday extended a strict virus lockdown of the country’s second-biggest city by two weeks, saying new cases had not dropped enough to prevent another spike.
Melbourne residents were due to exit a harsh six-week lockdown next weekend but face continued restrictions for months to come, with Victoria state premier Daniel Andrews saying the current lockdown would remain in place until September 28.
“If we open up too fast then we have a very high likelihood that we are not really opening up at all – we are just beginning a third wave,” he told a press conference.
“And we will be back in and out of restrictions, coming in and out of lockdown, before the end of the year.”
Just 63 new cases and five deaths were recorded in Victoria on Sunday, after peaking above 700 at the height of the outbreak, but health officials are taking a cautious approach.
Hopes of a return to normality this month have been dashed, with an overnight curfew, restrictions on visitors to homes and a limit on travelling more than 5km (about three miles) set to remain in place until at least October 26.
