Melbourne, Victoria vs. Melbourne, Florida: A tale of two cities and vastly different pandemic experiences
Familiar scenes are playing out once again in Melbourne’s fifth lockdown. But on the other side of the world, it’s a very different story.
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It’s a tale of two Melbournes.
Two cities that bear the same name, but had vastly different pandemic experiences.
Melbourne in the US state of Florida was named in honour of its founder and postmaster, Cornthwaite John Hector who spent much of his life in Victoria’s capital.
But that is where the similarities between the American and the Australian cities ends.
Florida’s Melbourne is known for its pristine beaches and for being America’s gateway to space, with rockets launched from the state’s “Space Coast” every month.
It is also in the midst of a restriction-free summer – despite coronavirus cases doubling across Florida over the past week and the state now accounting for 20 per cent of all infections in the United States.
Brevard County, of which Melbourne is a part of, reported more than 1440 infections on Friday alone.
The county of 600,000 people has reported a total of 44,840 Covid cases and 914 deaths, or 1.5 per 1000 people.
Close to half – 49 per cent – of residents are fully vaccinated with jabs openly available to all, including Pfizer for those aged as young as 12.
Victoria’s capital has 5.1 million people and has reported 20,785 Covid cases and 820 deaths, or 0.16 per 1000 people.
Around 11 per cent of Australians have been fully vaccinated.
There were 16 new cases recorded on Sunday as the city sat out its fifth lockdown inside Fortress Australia.
Unlike its Australian counterpart, a sense of normality is returning to America’s Melbourne, with Florida lifting all restrictions in May.
“We are working on getting back to our daily lives, the vaccine is readily available at any drug or grocery store … I think people are starting to see its effectiveness,” said Melbourne (Florida) Mayor Paul Alfrey.
Just like the rollout of the vaccine, the contrast in how the two cities have experienced lockdowns is just as profound, with the Floridian city only shutting down once throughout the entire pandemic.
That was in April last year, when Florida introduced a statewide stay-at-home order for 30 days.
Mask-wearing has been recommended but voluntary, although some counties have mandated them along with some businesses.
Restaurants have generally remained open, with 50 per cent dining caps at times, but schools taught remotely for most of last year.
“Florida has done an amazing job in its response to the crisis, we understand that coronavirus is something that’s here,” Mr Alfrey said.
The mayor is critical of lockdowns and the heavy-handed approach which has been adopted in other parts of America like California and New York, noting that in “the states which have locked down, you can see the impact physically and psychologically (on the people living there).”
But he refuses to criticise his Australian counterpart – noting that his city has adopted a more laissez faire approach to the virus due to its geographical and cultural differences.
“It would be wrong to say that Melbourne, Australia, is managing the virus incorrectly, you would understand what the best fit for your community is,” he said.
“It is much more difficult there when you have 5 million people, we only have 85,000 people here, we are really spread out, it is much easier to manage the virus.”
Despite being an enthusiastic cheerleader for his city, Mayor Alfrey is keen to take a trip down under once the pandemic recedes.
“I am very intrigued about Melbourne, Australia, I would love to visit there one day – it is at the very top of my bucket list!”
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