Melbourne’s usually vibrant downtown streets were draining of signs of life on Wednesday on the eve of Australia’s toughest-ever pandemic restrictions coming into force.
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Melbourne’s usually vibrant downtown streets were draining of signs of life on Wednesday on the eve of Australia’s toughest-ever pandemic restrictions coming into force.
Many of the stylish boutiques and eateries in a city dubbed Australia’s Hipster Capital, which prides itself on superior coffee, had already closed their doors ahead of a ban on non-essential businesses that will throw 250,000 people out of work from Thursday.
Defence personnel in fatigues and police officers patrolled the streets enforcing pandemic rules that include mandatory masks, which the few pedestrians were abiding by.
The closing down of Australia’s second-largest city, which usually accounts for a quarter of the nation’s economic activity, also coincided with frenetic preparation.
Hairdresser Niki Fiocca said she had been solidly booked by customers in recent days before her salon must close for at least six weeks.
“I just hope that this all works out for us,” said Fiocca, revealing she felt “a little bit under stress.”
“If everyone did the right thing, maybe this wouldn’t have happened,” she said, referring to Melbourne’s growing coronavirus infections.
Victoria set a new daily record of 725 cases on Wednesday. Elsewhere in Australia, only 14 new infections were found.
A Victoria state government website crashed on Wednesday when it was overwhelmed by employees in essential services applying for permits that would allow them to leave home for work from Thursday.
Many Melbourne businesses in this city of five million are not expected to survive the second and harshest lockdown.
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Australia’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer Michael Kidd urged Australians who live outside Victoria to support family and friends in Melbourne.
“The surprise phone call, an email, a video catch-up, even a card or a letter with positive messages of love or support can make a big difference to our family members and our friends in Victoria who find themselves living under the restrictions,” Kidd said in a nationally televised news conference.
Authorities are concerned that many Melbourne residents were ignoring orders to stay home, even when they were infected with the coronavirus.
A 38-year-old Melbourne woman has been charged with repeatedly bashing a 26-year-old police woman’s head against a concrete sidewalk this week. The officer had been attacked for asking the woman why she wasn’t wearing a mask, police allege.
Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews has acknowledged that his government was asking a lot of residents with the new level of restrictions, which would cause hardship.
What’s happening with coronavirus in Canada
As of 5:30 a.m. ET on Wednesday, Canada had 117,791 confirmed and presumptive coronavirus cases. Provinces and territories listed 102,450 of those as recovered or resolved. A CBC News tally of deaths based on provincial reports, regio