Daniel Andrews’ Melbourne lockdown set to surpass Wuhan
Melbourne’s lockdown has been one of the world’s harshest and now longest, and residents in some suburbs are now notching up their 78th day in isolation — longer than the length of the original Wuhan lockdown.
Victoria
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Melbourne’s lockdown has surpassed the length of Wuhan’s as residents in the city’s north and west suburbs clock up 11 weeks in isolation.
The Chinese city — the epicentre of the coronavirus — was locked down for 77 days between January and April.
But residents in 36 Melbourne suburbs, plunged into one of the world’s harshest and longest lockdowns ahead of the rest of the city, are notching their 78th day in isolation.
The rest of Melbourne will surpass the length of Wuhan’s lockdown next week.
Melbourne horse trainer Rui Severino was stuck in lockdown while working in Wuhan when the virus struck. He returned to Melbourne in July, only to endure another lockdown here.
Mr Severino described Wuhan’s lockdown as “very hard and strict”, with residents limited to scarce stocks at local supermarkets and many spending months within the same four walls.
“Everyone had to have their temperature checked — that’s 11 million people twice a day,” he said.
“There was no getting away with it or you would get a fine.
“Anyone above 37.3 they took it again and if you were still above they would ring the authorities and you would be taken away to a makeshift hospital.”
Mr Severino told the Herald Sun he was “very concerned” about how Melbourne’s lockdown was “dragging on”.
“I know lots of people who are really struggling with their mental health and no one is really talking about it,” he said.
Mr Severino said some of Melbourne’s restrictions appeared confusing and “uninformed”.
“I think part of the problem (with people not following restrictions) is people don’t understand why I can walk to the supermarket and see a candy store open, but so many businesses are closed,” he said.
“It’s very confusing and very frustrating.”
Mr Severino said China had a “much better contact tracing system” than Melbourne.
“I think we’ve done really well in the beginning, but then what happened with hotel quarantine is a bit concerning.”
Melbourne woman Tracy Wang has also had to endure both cities’ lockdowns.
She was visiting family in Wuhan when she found herself trapped in the epicentre of the first COVID-19 wave.
The 30-year-old said the city’s restrictions had been “very tough, very strict” but that she had coped by walking the dog, helping her parents with home renovations, playing guitar and helping vulnerable neighbours.
“It’s not like here where people go to protests during coronavirus,” Ms Wang said, describing residents’ mentality at the time.
“Everyone doesn’t go to the supermarket to buy toilet paper, residents fill out an online form for what they need.”
Ms Wang, who returned home in mid-April, said she was surprised Melbourne’s lockdown had outlasted Wuhan’s but expressed hope life would soon return to normal.
“It is surprising (Melbourne’s lockdown is longer). It made me really respect what the people in my hometown sacrificed to get cases down to zero,” she said.
Australian geophysicist Simon Carter (inset below with daughter Imogen), who has lived in Wuhan with his wife and Imogen for four years, said Melbourne was reminiscent of China when the virus was running rampant in March.
“Melbourne is the only place in the world with measures that looked like Wuhan,” he said.
Mr Carter said Wuhan had largely reopened and he was now back at work.
“Businesses are opening again and there are even new businesses that have sprung up,” Mr Carter said.
“It is like we are completely back to normal.”
Mr Carter said he understood Victorians’ frustrations over the long lockdown but urged them to follow restrictions.
“Wearing masks and staying at home are about protecting other people and in turn protecting yourself,” Mr Carter said.
“No one should be getting complacent now.”
LOCKDOWN IS SAMMY’S LIFE SO FAR
Tiny Sammy Folino has been in lockdown most of his life.
Born prematurely in April, Sammy left hospital the week 10 Melbourne postcodes — including Glenroy, where his family live — went into early lockdown.
Dad Tyrone Folino said he looked forward to introducing Sammy to his extended family when restrictions are lifted.
“It feels like Groundhog Day, we haven’t had visitors since July, we haven’t been anywhere,” Mr Folino said. “We’d love to take our son to meet our family. So far, he only knows us.
“We haven’t been able to get any help from grandparents. We have our good days and our bad days but it is tough. Hopefully we’ll get a Christmas.”
Mr Folino, a personal trainer, said the impact of Victoria’s second wave lockdown had been “frustrating” for his family with both he and wife Stefani reliant on government support to survive financially.
“I’m actually furious. We will be the longest lockdown in the world when this is all done — it is just ludicrous,” Mr Folino said.
“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and hoping to get a different result, especially when there are unachievable targets.
“We have to learn how to live with this virus, eliminating it is unachievable. Why do the young and healthy have to be punished because of the government?
“We have been let down by the people who represent us in parliament. They have let us down and blatantly lied to all Victorians. Dan is not listening.”
— Brianna Travers
IT’S HARD WAITING TO START ALL OVER AGAIN
Small business owner Alex Brucki from Kingsville, in Melbourne’s inner west, said the extended lockdown had taken a huge toll.
Kingsville was one of 36 Melbourne suburbs placed into lockdown a week earlier than the rest of the city as the second wave spread.
Mr Brucki said it was a difficult period being cut off from neighbours.
“We didn’t see the logic in it whatsoever,” he said.
“The rationale was flawed, we did not have any infections, simply because we were in the postcode I think it was easier just to sweep everybody under the carpet. We felt frustrated and ostracised. We were cut off from people on the opposite side of the road.”
Mr Brucki said the long stretch of lockdown had made it hard to maintain a routine with his family life and was emotionally challenging, including for his seven-year-old daughter Zoe.
He said there was a growing frustration at the state government decision making.
“It’s starting to grind into us, if there’s any way of demoralising people this is a great way of doing it.”
The 49-year-old has run his own company for 25 years manufacturing products for the fitness industry but his work was brought to a halt at the start of the pandemic.
“I’m waiting for the dust to settle before I reconstruct my business from scratch once again.”
He said the Premier and the key cabinet ministers were not taking into account the reality for small business owners.
“When you have people who have never had their own business, who have only worked in unions or universities or working for politicians and have no idea about business, inevitably the whole economy’s going to come to an almighty screeching halt.”
He described the long roadmap to reopening as “economic suicide”.
“It’s a disaster.”
— Josh Fagan
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