Covid Australia, the state of Victoria enters lockdown

The state of Victoria, Australia, enters lockdown at midnight today and for a week in an attempt to stem the Coronavirus infections that are increasing again: 34 positive cases currently registered, 12 of which in the last 24 hours. Acting premier of the state, James Merlino, assured that at the moment 10 thousand potential contact cases, ‘primary and secondary’ have been identified and traced in the context of the new outbreak. In particular, the country’s health officials are concerned about the presence of the Indian variant and the speed with which it has shown that it is capable of expanding. The containment measures provide for the closure of all non-essential commercial establishments, and personal exits limited to situations of need, in addition to compliance with the spacing rules, including the mandatory use of the mask. Australia has managed to contain the spread of Coronavirus through the imposition of drastic protection measures, such as the closure of international borders – with few exceptions – since March 2020: in the country there have been few more than thirty thousand cases and 910 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic. But there are strong internal criticisms for the slowness with which the work of immunization of the population is proceeding. This is the fourth lockdown facing the state of Victoria. Last year, Melbourne residents observed a 112-day period of severe restrictions.