Victoria is on the brink of a second state-wide lockdown. The state has recorded 191 new infections in its escalating COVID wave, the highest since the pandemic began. It has followed Monday’s 127 cases reported by the government and the state seems to be descending into a crisis with dire figures of infections being reported each day. It seems to suggest that Victoria’s coronavirus crisis spirals further out of control.
Premier Daniel Andrews and his cabinet have spent much of Tuesday morning in a crisis meeting with a return to a statewide lockdown for four weeks being touted as a measure being considered.
There are 772 active COVID cases in Victoria which include seven healthcare workers at the Northern Hospital. Then there are others from the Royal Melbourne and Alfred hospitals.
In Melbourne’s West, the cluster from abattoir workers and schools, including Al-Taqwa College in Truganina has 90 confirmed infections.
The new infection numbers continue a three week long period of double-digit daily with a gigantic leap.
Two men, one each in their 60s and 90s, died on Monday, making them as Australia’s first virus-related deaths in several weeks.
Premier Daniel Andrews is expected to announce the anticipated measure in a media conference later today.
Nine public housing estates in Flemington, Kensington and North Melbourne, all in inner-Melbourne continue to be in a hard lockdown for the third day.
In Melbourne’s hotspots in 10 postcodes and 36 suburbs, a further 350,000 people are also under renewed stage-three restrictions until at least July 29.
Residents in the high rise buildings have claimed there have been many people who were locked in those buildings, caught unawares and did not have enough food to go on. Not allowed to go shopping many had to wait for more than 24 hours before authorities managed to deliver food to them. There have been complaints that the government did not provide enough food or delivered inappropriate or out of date food to some.
As is possible with all evolving situations, a lot is left desired in the steps being put in place. With new state-wide lockdown in place, (the announcement is expected sometime today), perhaps the government can muster enough brain resources to get things right and bring the state back on track.
Some experts estimate this second wave spikes in COVID-19 cases may cost the Victorian economy more than $100 billion.