Corona lockdown: Melbourne breaks world record – politics abroad

by time news

A good one and a half years after the start of the corona pandemic, the Australian metropolis of Melbourne has set an inglorious record.

The capital of the state of Victoria on the east coast is now 246 days in lockdown mode.

The Australian broadcaster ABC reports. Melbourne has thus overtaken the previous record holder Buenos Aires.

New corona infections have recently increased dramatically in Victoria, one record after the other tumbled last week.

The region has been in a strict lockdown for almost two months – for the sixth time. For many people, the nerves are on edge, especially since the lockdown is supposed to last for several weeks.

After 80 percent of the population have now received at least a first dose of vaccine, the rules were slightly relaxed last week despite the many new infections.

People are now allowed to move within a radius of 15 instead of the previous ten kilometers from their place of residence. In addition, golf and other non-contact outdoor sports are again allowed.

Australia, with its around 25 million inhabitants, had long pursued a zero Covid strategy and tried to eradicate the virus with closed external borders and extremely rigid measures.

With the spread of the delta variant, however, several regional governments had to admit that the strategy no longer works. The authorities are now focusing on achieving the highest possible vaccination rate.

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