Melbourne is under blockade from today, which will last for six weeks due to the second wave of the coronavirus. During this period, most shops will be closed. The streets of the city of five million inhabitants have been empty since this morning.
During the previous 24 hours, 471 cases of infection and eight deaths were registered in the capital of the state of Victoria. Australia now has a total of about 20,000 cases of Covid-19 and 255 deaths, which is still less than many other developed countries.
“We flattened the curve once and we will do it again,” Health Minister Greg Hunt told reporters.
The Prime Minister of the State of Victoria, Daniel Andrews, called on the residents of Melbourne, who had previously gone through several weeks of a less strict blockade, to remain calm and refrain from panicking shopping in supermarkets. Meat processing facilities are among the few that will remain open in Melbourne but will work with fewer people.
