Australian state of Victoria extends Melbourne lockdown despite drop in virus cases

I pray that freedom will one day be restored to Australia.

what are you talking about , its only one state in Australia, Victoria, the other states are still open because their populations did a good job following the guide lines and infections have flattened.

Despite drop in cases? A drop in cases mean squat. You gotta crush the rate of infection. If not, you get what we have in the US: thousands of people dying EACH DAY instead of 35/day (when adjusted for per capita with Europe, et al.

@kryonstavic

Andrews has handled this crisis far more poorly than any of the other state premiers blah blah blah BS blah...

Victoria is the only state that has a significant Covid problem. The govt has decided to do something about it (as opposed to dumbass Trump's solution...."It will go away by magic"). Infection rates are currently coming down in Victoria. Clear evidence of success. And yet the alarmist, paranoid, conspiracy theory loving segment of this site/society beyond want to make out that 200 people, IN A CITY OF 5 MILLION, demonstrating yesterday that they want to be "free" equals some kind of sign of a righteous revolution. Give me a break!

@peter14

We established yesterday, its not that thousands would die as you put it

It's that you are afraid for yourself.

At least come out at say, you don't care about thousands losing their jobs and whole state under house arrest.

As long as you can feel safer.

The protests were only illegal, but not unlawful

Truth, not facts!

So happy to live in japan, where people are treated like adults given the freedom to go out or stay home as they please.

and yet Tokyo was still in partial lock down because infections spiked, Australia has just locked down the state, Victoria, that hasnt handled the pandemic properly. Im pretty sure if Tokyo see a dramatic rise in infections then the J gov will lock down again, do you really think the Olympics will be held if they dont get it under control!?

Your position is sadly a selfish one.

A selfish and autocratic position would be demand everyone follow my stance. I.e dictator Dan.

I believe in democracy and freedom

everyone should be left to decide if they wish to stay home, go out, go to work etc.

You should just admit you have no heart and care nothing for others lives as long as you can walk around and go out for entertainment

This isnt about going out and having fun, its about the right to move freely, go be able to work to provide children with an education and democracy.

Peter 14

This is about people being endangered by the population moving about freely "at this time"

That is the claim made by your dictator. It is by no means a fact. Other countries made other decisions are doing fine.

Victoria has a majority elected leader.

Does that mean he can abuse his power?

Does that mean he can abuse his power?

He has the support of the vast majority so clearly he has not abused his power. The minority may have a differing view. But in a democracy the majority rules.

Apart from nz please list the countries which have lockdown again, almost every country has now figured out its a terrible idea.

Also please let me know how your dear leader is so righteous his wife (with him in car) knocks down a boy on his bike causing serve injuries then doesn't get a breathalyzer test nor bother to call nor visit the boy in hospital.

I am happy to be in Japan, where there no lockdowns

Just the Diamond Princess and lockouts for foreigners while Japanese could come and go to the same destinations as they pleased.

Peter14

Look at whats going on in other countries, unbelievable stupidity opening up while cases keep growing. Utter madness.

Plenty of countries are doing OK without draconian lockdowns. The utter madness is blind trust in an authoritarian wannabe dictator. I am happy to be in Japan, where there no lockdowns and no arrests for facebook posts.

Peter14Today  07:22 pm JST

Happy to be living in Victoria where the government takes well thought out actions to keep its people safe. Look at whats going on in other countries, unbelievable stupidity opening up while cases keep growing. Utter madness.

How many people in Victoria would be an acceptable amount to die from Covid? 1, 10, 100, 1000? Governments have to do risk assessments and allow for casualties in order for society to function. Your premier has just destroyed your state. It sounds like a horrible place to live.

@Objective

Your callous attitude to others lives is appalling. 1182 died but it is just a statistic to you. More than that died each DAY of this virus in the US because of attitudes like yours. That my country takes precautions to save its citizens means to me that it is one of the better nations in the world. The lack of decency and morality shown by individuals like you is objectionable and simply pathetic.

Unacceptable risk is not part of life when you can take steps against it. You wont acknowledge prudence as you dismiss it for encroaching on your freedom to infect others. Too bad for them in your mind.

Dont take this serious until someone you love dies of it. Then its too late but perhaps it will still be just a useless meaningless statistic to you. Inhuman, barbaric and uncivilised are a few words that come to mind when thinking of the deniers and the "open up and too bad if they die" brigade. Dont be one of them.

I believe in democracy and freedom

As do I and most Australians. Yet most agree with the lock down to save lives. Yes, I know you dont think there has been enough dead and effected badly by the virus to justify the restrictions, but your in the small minority.

This isnt about going out and having fun, its about the right to move freely, go be able to work to provide children with an education and democracy.

This is about people being endangered by the population moving about freely "at this time" and people like you not accepting that.

As stated, the vast majority agree with the lock down and support the government actions and in a democracy (that you support) it is the majority that determine the elected government and in this case support the governments actions. Would you rather a small minority rule with an Iron fist? it sounds like you do.

That is the claim made by your dictator. It is by no means a fact. Other countries made other decisions are doing fine.

Wrong again. This response is recommended by health experts around the globe when infections begin spiking.

Victoria has a majority elected leader. But you seem to like the thought of Dictators. You must be a real Trump fan too.

I did not vote for him due to his support for the Belt and Road scam. But I support him fully in his actions to contain Covid. He has done a reasonable job after the initial fumble hiring unskilled security guards to maintain those in quarantine.

I was in the minority that voted against him. Based on his actions in this emergency he will be re-elected in a landslide. But if he is still supporting China I will again vote against him.

I feel sad for the people of Victoria, forced to be under under house arrest. We should be really grateful to be able to live in this beautiful country which, despite some flaws, has allowed us to decide if we take the risk of going outside or not.

Japan looks like an island of sanity compared to what is going on in Australia and NZ.

Andrews has handled this crisis far more poorly than any of the other state premiers thanks to the meat works and hotel guard scandals. Yet he refuses to take any blame whatsoever, even though Victoria's case numbers have greatly exceeded the states.

And he will continue the lockdown, slightly eased, but there's no good news for business. As a socialist, that isn't likely to bother him, though.

Hundreds attended the illegal gathering organized online by conspiracy theorists, labeling the government's response to the pandemic overblown or an outright "scam".

And they were dead right right. Don't need to be a so-called conspiracy theorist to know this. And thanks to the journalist for poisoning the well with that term. The protests were only illegal, but not unlawful, because the law being used to base the arrests on goes against the government's own human rights charter. Yet strangely, the government didn't show the same gusto toward arresting BLM protestors even though there were far more and the risk of spreading the virus was greater if the official narrative about risk is to believed. Maybe the far-left are immune to COVID-19? They're certainly immune to the law.

Happy to be living in Victoria where the government takes well thought out actions to keep its people safe. Look at whats going on in other countries, unbelievable stupidity opening up while cases keep growing. Utter madness.

I have friends in Aussie. Half are in support of house arrest, half are totally fed up. One of my friends business is finished and can’t pay rent and her kids food. Just a couple of old people in a care home infected...destroyed her young family.

Nations that have used a lock down/restrictions include but not limited to

NZ, Australia, US, Spain, Italy, Germany, India, South Korea, China, Iran, UK, Lithuania, Hungary, Singapore, Dubai, Panama, Peru, Thailand, Russia South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Columbia, Jordan, Argentina, Belgium, Malaysia, France..... The list goes on.

https://www.businessinsider.com.au/countries-on-lockdown-coronavirus-italy-2020-3?r=US&IR=T

Do you really think requesting bars to close at 10pm is any type of lockdown???

Furthermore the chances of japan requesting people stay home again is close to zero, the government has come outwand said that the s.o.e is unlikely to be done again, do you read the news?

The road map for ending the restrictions has been released by the Vic government.

https://www.9news.com.au/national/coronavirus-melbournes-roadmap-out-of-lockdown-questions-answered/f0932faf-f6e3-4c85-8305-820bd066a78b

The responsible lock down will end when the virus spread has been reduced and is manageable. The date's for phased opening up are published and as long as the vast majority of citizens continue to follow the guidelines then there should be no issues. However if there are illegal mass gatherings those date could get pushed back due to an uptake in virus infections. It is up to the people. If the do as they should then things can get back to normal. If they fight the necessary restrictions they will drag this out longer for everyone.

Good job Vic Gov.

@carpslidy

We established yesterday, its not that thousands would die as you put it

Since Victoria was getting to over 100 people die per day, then thousands would have died. But you deny the truth.

It's that you are afraid for yourself.

Yes, and everyone else in a similar situation. I served my country in the Army and was prepared to die for it. Unless you have a similar past then dont accuse me of having this stance for my own safety.

At least come out at say, you don't care about thousands losing their jobs and whole state under house arrest.

It is unfortunate but necessary for the time being so that people can survive. The lock down is Melbourne only. Regional areas are at a much less stringent stage 2. Although a careful watch is on Geelong, (Victoria's second largest city) as cases seem to be increasing in some areas of that city.

As long as you can feel safer.

As long as efforts are made to protect all the vulnerable.

You should just admit you have no heart and care nothing for others lives as long as you can walk around and go out for entertainment.

Your position is sadly a selfish one.

Plenty of countries are doing OK without draconian lockdowns.

And so is Australia. Only sensible medically directed lock downs for safety here. Nothing "draconian" going on here.

How many people in Victoria would be an acceptable amount to die from Covid?

Zero would have been acceptable but we are well past that. We were spiraling out of control in Victoria and the only sensible course was taken. If not then in a city over 4 million people we would have had tens of thousands die. I take it from your posts that you consider that acceptable losses to keep an economy untouched. I do not!

@Defective...sorry, "Objective"

Your premier has just destroyed your state. It sounds like a horrible place to live.

The lockdown is in the capital city, not the state.

Melbourne is rated (every year, on various websites) as one of the top 10 cities in the world to live in.

The vast majority of people living in Melbourne (Do I need to repeat that 5,000,000 people live there?) are in agreement with the safety first actions of the Andrews government. 200 deluded attention seekers staged a protest yesterday. What percentage of the city's population is that? Work it out, and get back to me next week.

Well said Dr Maybe. You are absolutely correct.

Dr Maybe

Victoria is the only state that has a significant Covid problem. The govt has decided to do something about it (as opposed to dumbass Trump's solution...."It will go away by magic").

That was not Trumps solution, that was an overoptimistic remark. After that he closed borders, assembled a task force, and largely followed their advice (up the point where they wanted open-ended lockdowns like the dictator in Victoria). Go easy on the simplistic talking points please.

For what its worth, Corona deaths in the various US states vary widely, from very high to zero, with the highest ones in Democrat run states. I am not claiming it is a direct result of party politics, but it puts the silly notion to rest that it is all Trumps fault.

So happy to live in japan, where people are treated like adults given the freedom to go out or stay home as they please.

I pray that freedom will one day be restored to Australia. Recent developments there are very worrying.

Allowing the govt power to lockdown the populace is acquiescence to tyranny.

Let freedom ring!