Stage four lockdown fatigue begins to bite in Victoria

Signs of lockdown cabin fever have emerged in Victoria, as more people are prepared to brave transport and public spaces.

People out and about Brighton Beach last weekend. Picture: Jay Town

Signs of lockdown fatigue have emerged in Victoria, according to the latest mobility data released by the Andrews government.

The data compared the week of August 10-14 with August 2-7, and the weekends of August 15-16 with August 8-9.

All metropolitan public transport modes showed increased activity 15-16 August compared with the previous weekend.

However, weekday activity was more restrained with notable drops in public transport and road use during 10-14 August compared with 3-7 August.

All but two local government areas saw less weekday movement 10-14 August compared with 3-7 August. Only Moorabool in western central Victoria and Colac-Otway, in Victoria’s southwest, increased.

Most metropolitan LGAs experienced a rise in Saturday public transport use.

Port Phillip, in Melbourne’s bayside inner south, stood out with large increases on 15 August compared to 8 August.

New mobility data released by the Victorian government.

Train and tram use in Port Phillip were both up 37 per cent, and bus use 25 per cent.

Senior Myki card holders contributed to the jump in weekend public transport use, with 20 per cent more using the system 15-16 August compared to the previous weekend.

Student use increased 11 per cent and full-fare patronage two per cent.

Mobility data released by the Victorian government.

The 8pm-5am curfews in metropolitan Melbourne affected weekday public transport, reducing train use across 10-14 August by 10 per cent, bus patronage seven per cent and tram use three per cent compared to 3-7 August. The curfew came into effect on August 2.

Stage 4 metropolitan exercise restrictions have seen altered exercise habits.

Visits to parks increased 12 per cent overall, with Frankston (in Melbourne’s southeast), and Banyule and Manningham (in Melbourne’s northeast) all experiencing close to 30 per cent jumps 10-14 August from 3-7 August.

Afternoon recreational bike-riding rose 30 per cent overall from the previous week.

Premier Daniel Andrews said the virus would win if Victorians let fatigue get the better of them, and economic recovery would be set back even further.

“It’s not often that I would stand here and celebrate bad weather, but the bad weather this weekend is an absolute blessing, it really is,” Mr Andrews said on Saturday.

“We saw some pictures, social media people gathering, people, of course, wanting to get back to normal, but the only thing that wins if we let our fatigue get the better of us, the only thing that will beat us if we pretend this is over is the virus.”