The seven days of confinement of the five million inhabitants of Melbourne were initially scheduled to end on the night of Wednesday to Thursday. But the authorities decided to extend it for seven days.
“We have to eliminate this virus, otherwise people will die,” warned James Merlino, Acting Prime Minister of the State of Victoria, adding that the city was dealing with a variant of the virus “more transmissible than what we have. known until now ”.
This variant B.1.617, known as kappa, detected in India for the first time would have spread via a traveler returning from abroad. Since then, thousands of contact cases have been identified and the number of places visited by some 60 people who have tested positive now stands at 350.
James Merlino, however, indicated that outside Melbourne, containment measures will be lifted for residents of his state. However, a whole series of restrictions will remain in place, including the number of people allowed to gather for weddings or funerals.
Fourth containment
In Melbourne, high school students who have to take an exam will be able to return to class while those working outside will be able to return to work, he added.
Australia has contained the spread of Covid-19 on its soil rather well, notably by means of drastic border controls, with the exception of New Zealand, and the rapid implementation of restrictive measures. as soon as new cases appear.
Brett Sutton, head of health services for the state of Victoria, said it was necessary to extend the restrictions to stem transmission among the population, calling the variant a “real monster”. “There are a dozen countries that had no cases of transmission among their populations in 2021 who have totally lost control,” he said.
This is the fourth containment of Melbourne since the start of the pandemic. Voices have been raised against the Conservative federal government for criticizing the slowness of the vaccination campaign. The Labor opposition criticizes the government for not reviewing the quarantine system for travelers arriving from abroad, which has shown failures.
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