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Original poster

Melbourne apartment towers complete lockdown

351 replies

Imtootired · 04/07/2020 15:30

In Melbourne, Aus there are five tower blocks that will be put under complete lockdown for five days. I am all for being proactive about stopping the spread of coronavirus but this is madness. They are public housing so people on very low incomes for various reasons including elderly and disabled people, refugees and single parents. There will be police guarding each floor. No one will be able to leave for any reason. There have been many reports of bad hygiene practices for people quarantined in hotels and it makes me so angry that the government and dodgy contacted companies didn’t do their jobs properly and now the most vulnerable are paying the price. How will they be able to attend to all the individual needs of 3000 people? If I was stuck in a tiny apartment with my children with no time to prepare I would be furious. There were no armed guards for rich travellers returning home. I’m so angry and feel so bad for the residents. This is the beginning of a police state and once it’s happened it could happen again. If I was a resident I would be getting legal advice ASAP. I hope someone takes them to court.

OP posts:
SnagAndChips · 05/07/2020 05:26

I'm in Melbourne and the west- so very close to the lockdown areas (2-3 kms). One of my mates is one road inside a lockdown area which will run for 4 weeks, and we expect it to be in my suburb imminently.

The housing commission towers lockdown (ie council housing) is because the area is heavily migrant with large numbers of Sudanese. This week the (official, paid for) Sudanese community leader said Covid was rife in his community as the 'stay safe' instructions had not been translated into the required tribal languages.
So I see this as a way of identifying and helping those who are vulnerable. Its harsh but we do not want to change our 104 deaths into many 1000s.

No one loves what is being done, but everyone understands the bigger picture.
They are being supplied food, activities etc. Our police have guns but they rarely pull them. Guns are not a major part of policing.

Daniel Andrews, state premier, has made some huge mistakes with security guards at quarantine hotels having sex with the hotel residents, then working 2nd jobs, so think he is trying to get this under control.

We all expect harsher 'stay at home' terms to come back in- panic buying at supermarket again and we expect schools to go back to remote learning when the winter holidays end next week.

Whichoneofyoudidthat · 05/07/2020 05:27

There are also at least two aged care facilities within a couple of kilometres from these tower blocks.

user1481840227 · 05/07/2020 05:28

@MrsTerryPratchett

It's imprisonment without trial. You may think it's justified but it is imprisonment without trial. And yes the authorities will be supplying food and medication. But they do in prison as well and we expect oversight on that.

I much prefer the approach in Canada, which is the idea that if you tell people what they should do, and give them the means to do it, they will mostly do it. Enough to curb this virus. And maintain order while not descending either into anarchy or fascism.

Completely agree. It stuns me how quick people have been to accept the erosion of their rights.

It's the fact that people accept it so willingly that's the shocking thing, not even necessarily the fact that the authorities have done it!

echt · 05/07/2020 05:36

We all expect harsher 'stay at home' terms to come back in- panic buying at supermarket again and we expect schools to go back to remote learning when the winter holidays end next week

This. Just anecdotally I was at a very popular Asian supermarket in Clayton today, one I go to fortnightly and there were unprecedented measures, limited numbers going in (not that it's a scrum usually) compulsory hand sanitising on entry. I inferred that this was response to what's happening in the inner suburbs.

As a teacher I'm anticipating the return to remote learning, though have no info. I see that the exclusions from on-site work for health reasons have not been changed and with all this kicking off, nor will they be.

echt · 05/07/2020 05:40

It's imprisonment without trial

It is not. The people have not been arrested.

groovergirl · 05/07/2020 05:41

So remind me, how long has COVID been around?

Since 2019, so govts have had plenty of time to translate advice into the many languages spoken in Australia. If COVID was so scary and it is they could have got cracking on urgent warnings in, eg, Sudanese languages. They didn't, and COVID is spreading in Melbourne's Sudanese community.

MrsTerryPratchett · 05/07/2020 05:43

@echt

It's imprisonment without trial

It is not. The people have not been arrested.

So they can come and go as they wish?
UmbrellaHat · 05/07/2020 05:45

People on cruise ships had worse than this. At least these people are in their own homes.

SnagAndChips · 05/07/2020 05:47

@groovergirl

So remind me, how long has COVID been around?

Since 2019, so govts have had plenty of time to translate advice into the many languages spoken in Australia. If COVID was so scary and it is they could have got cracking on urgent warnings in, eg, Sudanese languages. They didn't, and COVID is spreading in Melbourne's Sudanese community.

SBS (bit like BBC2) has foreign language news. It is always broadcasting COVID health protection in a host of different languages.

It has just been claimed this week that the Sudanese version was not translated in a variety of tribal languages, which no-one had been made aware of. Plus large family gathering (esp for Eid and birthdays) have spread rapidly across many suburbs..

Plus the

MrsTerryPratchett · 05/07/2020 05:48

So house arrest. Like Aung San Suu Kyi? All good then.

Limpshade · 05/07/2020 05:49

I think we should be wary of using the term "imprisonment"; it makes a mockery of people who are actually in prison. No, it won't be a very pleasant experience, but it's for five days, in people's own homes, with home comforts and with their household.

I think the debate about public responsibility vs private freedom is an interesting one, but let's not muddy the waters by bandying about the word "imprisonment".

MrsTerryPratchett · 05/07/2020 05:53

I think we should be wary of using the term "imprisonment"

And I think we should understand what words mean. If you deprive people of their freedom, and make them stay in one place, even if that is their home, that's imprisonment.

I'm not saying it's necessarily not warranted. I'm saying that sleepwalking into a fundamental loss of liberty is a big deal.

A year ago, would you have agreed that the state should be able to put whole buildings under house arrest? I wouldn't. Yet here we are.

Limpshade · 05/07/2020 05:54

Aung San Suu Khi was placed under house arrest for political reasons for more than a decade and was not allowed to visit her (dying) husband or children in the UK during that time.

These people are being instructed to stay at home for five days because of a pandemic and can leave on compassionate grounds.

Again, let's not muddy the waters by trying to compare apples with oranges.

MrsTerryPratchett · 05/07/2020 05:59

Fundamental freedoms are just that. Whether for 5 days or 10 years.

Allowing and celebrating the state removing them is worrying, regardless of motive.

What would happen if a resident walked out of their home and said, "I have the right to leave my home"? Would the armed police use those arms?

justilou1 · 05/07/2020 06:00

I know for a fact that the team organizing the lockdown in these buildings are also organizing translators or both sexes, counselors and social workers to come and mitigate any distress caused by this lockdown. While it will cause stress - it is unavoidable - it was NOT done without warning. Residents were told to prepare and stock up on groceries, etc. 24hrs is more than adequate to do that in this area. There are plenty of food delivery options available also, and these buildings will be given priority slots.

echt · 05/07/2020 06:01

These people are being instructed to stay at home for five days because of a pandemic and can leave on compassionate grounds

Thank you, Limphade.

Some ridiculous, poorly thought-out (sic) accusations here, that diminish the real experience of house arrest, imprisonment without trial and police state.

echt · 05/07/2020 06:02

What would happen if a resident walked out of their home and said, "I have the right to leave my home"? Would the armed police use those arms?

No. But then you know what.

echt · 05/07/2020 06:07

celebrating the state removing them is worrying, regardless of motive

Fuck. Off.

No-one is celebrating this.

ReefTeeth · 05/07/2020 06:07

@MrsTerryPratchett

Fundamental freedoms are just that. Whether for 5 days or 10 years.

Allowing and celebrating the state removing them is worrying, regardless of motive.

What would happen if a resident walked out of their home and said, "I have the right to leave my home"? Would the armed police use those arms?

You are deliberately being inflammatory.

It's a pandemic. They're not under arrest, they're being told they need to stay in their homes to protect themselves firstly and the wider community secondly.

If they tried to leave they'd be fined, then maybe arrested if they didn't comply. But is it any different than Spain where DC weren't allowed to leave their homes for 6+ weeks?

MrsTerryPratchett · 05/07/2020 06:14

For goodness sake I'm not being inflammatory.

I'm pointing out that surrendering fundamental rights is something to take seriously. It worries me that people are so willing to do it.

There are other options.

echt · 05/07/2020 06:19

For goodness sake I'm not being inflammatory

Yes you are:

You said this was house arrest: it isn't. Look it up, why don't you?

You compared it to Aung San Suu Kyi: not the same. Look it up, why don't you?

You hypothesised police officers possibly shooting down a citizen.

MrsTerryPratchett · 05/07/2020 06:21

And you aren't remotely concerned about any precedent?

Fab.

echt · 05/07/2020 06:23

And you aren't remotely concerned about any precedent?

They don't need one. Evidently.

echt · 05/07/2020 06:24

Pressed too soon.

They are already operating within the law, so no precedent needed.,

ReefTeeth · 05/07/2020 06:25

They're asking people to stay in their homes while they test everyone. These people are at serious risk of catching Covid if there is a super spreader living in their block.

You're so hung up on being right on, you're completely missing that it's being done FOR the residents, not because of WHO the residents are.