Melbourne is back in Stage 4 lockdown.

[groovergirl]

Howdy all. I'm in Melbourne, and it's just been announced that we're back in Stage 4 lockdown from midnight. It's because of some coronavirus cases in a quarantine hotel at the airport.

We've done this before, and everyone was saying "You've got this, Melbourne!" and telling us how awesome we were. But we've been so awesome for so long, and we're all so tired of this. I think most Australians are prepared to do masks and practical precautions for the long term, but these sudden hits to work, school and social life are hard to bear. I couldn't see my family in Sydney this past Xmas because the border was closed.

Hand-hold, anyone? I'll be OK tomorrow. Just in despair now.

I don’t think it’s insensitive to post about it on here. It’s not a competition. We can feel,sorry for ourselves in a long lockdown and also have sympathy for people in Australia.

If I was in Melbourne I’d be nervous and wanting to talk. This could be the start of something bigger. Cases are increasing, they’re already talking about extending the 5 days. Nobody has been vaccinated. They could easily be where we were last March.

"To be fair to @groovergirl, she may have started the thread but it was later posters being outright hostile to the suggestion this may have been aimed at the wrong audience."

Yes, in fact part way through the thread groovergirl apologised for being a little tone death and acknowledged what was being said, so fair play to her

@AlecTrevelyan006

This is the problem with the zero Covid approach - there’s no wriggle room. Any amount of cases ushers in a lockdown

No it doesn’t. NZ has had community cases previously with no lockdown.

There are circumstances in this case that have made it necessary, such as no link to an MIQ hotel, but a link to the border. Also, one of those ill was at secondary school.

If they can ring fence the infection quickly then that will determine how long.

Genome testing was due back first thing this morning I think. That will answer some more questions.

Melbourne actually had community transmission at the end of December (which had come from NSW ) and didn’t lock down.

I think the difference here is that it’s the more transmissible Uk strain, and someone worked an 8hr shift with it in an airport.

It’s been confirmed it’s the UK strain in NZ too and not linked to a case currently in MIQ.

Lots of testing and track and trace being done.

@Covidcorvid

I don’t think it’s insensitive to post about it on here. It’s not a competition. We can feel,sorry for ourselves in a long lockdown and also have sympathy for people in Australia.

If I was in Melbourne I’d be nervous and wanting to talk. This could be the start of something bigger. Cases are increasing, they’re already talking about extending the 5 days. Nobody has been vaccinated. They could easily be where we were last March.

That's the constant worry here- it might only be one or two cases but you never know when or where they will pop up and how far it has already spread. We're at 28 days free of locally acquired cases in NSW and it feels like we're living on borrowed time now. It's mentally and emotionally fatiguing (again not saying we are worse off than other countries). Talking to some friends overseas there is a view that we have zero restrictions and have not been impacted at all because we're all just partying at the beach which is quite far from reality. Personally I don't think our current quarantine systems are good enough to cope with the new variants. I do wonder how the UK will go with implementing the hotel approach when we are starting to find that it might not be the best set up with air circulation and rooms with no opening windows (not all are like this).

But still, you have to admit it’s pretty lacking in self awareness to complain on a British site.

People should be able to talk about their own experiences on their own threads. Just hop off the thread if you don't like it.

@LeaveHomeNow

I am from Melbourne, live in UK. My family have complained solidly about Melbourne situation. Little interest outside of Australia. My family had covid ("hope you're ok! 😊"), known people die, have friends with long covid and looking at over 100k deaths. My kids have been at home for 9 months. My elderly neighbours have lived alone with little interaction for a large amount of the last 12 months.

I get it's tough and everything is relative but think it's hugely insensitive to complain about 13 cases and 5 days lockdown there.

Yes this ^^

I don't think it's insensitive to post on here! There are some posters on here that have family in Australia and of course would be interested in how things are.
I have family and friends in NZ , Sydney and Melbourne and I want to know how they're doing.

@echt

And we have thousands of deaths a week to boot. It’s not a misery olympics but really not the right place for the OP to look for a handhold

Contradictory much.

Unless you went through the last Melbourne lockdown you know fuck all.

Your 'educate yourself' RE. the Melbourne lockdown is so ironic. The UK has had more time in lockdown, the lockdowns have been just as harsh (and the restrictions in between, much harsher) and 120,000 have died.

For the record, I have not heard a single person here in Melbourne complaining about this lockdown. We are all just doing it, because we know it works, even if it is a bit of a pain in the arse. It is, as countless people in this thread have mentioned, just five days. Considering we were in hard lockdown for 7 months last year, this is nothing!

Plus they've kept childcare open this time, which makes allllll the difference.

Massive sympathies to everyone in the UK. What is happening over there is awful, and it must feel so frightening and draining to be living in perpetual lockdown limbo - particularly in the middle of grim February weather. I hope you get some resolution and that case numbers start going down soon.