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.

@vera99 lol!
Well my great great ( 6 generations back) grandparents took the boat from Liverpool in 1863 or thereabouts to emigrate here to Australia so I guess a lot of white Australians have whinging in their ancestry! It’s tough everywhere but we definitely don’t have it as hard as you in the UK, that’s for sure.

@echt

"Educate yourself about what the Victorian lockdown entailed before your judge."

Am really interested to know what the difference are? Can you explain?

How was the Victoria lockdown worse than the current U.K. lockdown?

I am so pissed off that tennis players have been designated as 'essential workers' yet the rest of us have to stay home.

And Scotty from marketing (the PM, full of talk and hot air) has told us that the factory to make the vaccine will start production end of March. He is waiting to see if it kills recipients in other countries before we can use it, I guess. No other reason to delay this long.

he is a fuckwit. As is Daniel Andrews the state premier

That’s sounds a bit belligerent. I mean it as a genuine question. Because it feels like everything is closed here and I can’t see how it could be any harsher. (For normal people, I’m aware there’s influencers in Dubai etc but that is not the experience of the vast majority)

I just looked and stage 4 lockdown in Aus sounds almost identical to our current lockdown. Other than exercise is limited to within 5km of home and to 2 hrs a day (although who would want to be outside for more than 20mins a day at the moment in the UK?!).

Sorry folks, in no way did I mean to dump a big whinge on UK Mumsnetters. You are indeed having a much worse time, as I gather from the BBC website and from MN of course. @ChocOrange1 I didn't know about Leicester. That sounds absolutely dire.

At the time of my first post the lockdown had just been announced. We had two long lockdowns last year, which was hard particularly on aged-care residents and their families, and I was expecting similar. Now that we know it's just five days we'll suck it up.

Looks like we're getting a locally made version of the AZ vax next month, so that is good news too.

Again, I apologise to the Poms I've annoyed here and hope things improve for you.

Oh come on. Just because we’re having a shit time doesn’t mean we can’t recognise that a sudden lockdown isn’t a bit a of shock and disappointment for other people

Chin up OP. If it is only 5 days (and all you can do is assume it will be) and the weather is good then treat it as a holiday.

Hope your vaccine programme gets rolled out quickly -perhaps this will be a kick up the arse for those in charge of it.

Thanks OP, that's big of you to admit. I hope the 5 days go quickly and you're released soon.

Victorian lockdown rules:
What are the reasons for leaving home?
The state is headed back into stage 4 restrictions, which means people must remain home and only leave for these reasons:

Essential shopping for food and medical supplies
Caregiving
Essential work and education
Exercise for two hours per day with one other person not from your household or your partner.
People must remain within 5 kilometres of their homes and mask wearing will be essential everywhere outside the home, including indoors and outdoors areas.

But unlike the previous stage 4 lockdown, a curfew will not be in place.

So I assume there was a curfew previously.

This is very very similar to the UK lockdown. Our 5k from home is "essential journeys only", and we don't have to wear a mask on our daily exercise outside.

I am sorry OP, lockdowns are tough. But I am in Manchester UK and we have been in one level of lockdown or another for all but 3 weeks since March. My 50th birthday, cancelled, summer holiday, cancelled (no one allowed to travel in to or out of Mcr to visit another household). Missed my mum's 80th. Haven't seen my sisters in 18 months as we were due to visit last Easter so missed Christmas. Have seen my mum once in a year (amazingly we met up during our 3 week non lockdown), haven't seen mother in law since March. Haven't been able to meet a group of friends at the pub or a restaurant since March. So I reckon you will be ok.

5 days!!!

BLISS

You lucky thing.

Sorry you need to get on with it. We have been in lockdown since the 19th December last year I live in Wales in the UK .

Yes, its only 5 days. But here in Melbourne we had an initial lockdown in March for about 6 weeks, then strict lockdown from June to the end of October, then a gradual easing but never a complete lifting. State borders are closed quickly whenever cases happen, and we can't leave the country without permission- which is rarely granted.

We were at zero cases for nearly a month before they would lift restrictions. So yes, we do know what a strict lockdown is like. And yes, it's a bit depressing going back into lockdown for a short period of time, but I really rolled my eyes at the number of MNetters who were travelling around last summer. You had LESS cases than we had in Victoria and you frittered it away. Every single case here now is a bloody quarantine escapee -the new UK strain - so clearly this new strain is VERY contagious.

@echt Unless you did the Melbourne lockdown, you know zip. Educate yourself.

Do you not think that many of us have relatives in Australia? I know that some restrictions were tougher, like masks outside, and I know that the Australian media loves a 'Australia is the most ___ in the world' story, so you spent the whole time being told how much harder it was.

But seriously, we've had children have one term of school in 12 months. I've not had people in my house since the first lockdown back in March 2020. Over 115,000 deaths, many more left bereaved or with long covid. Massive unemployment.

This isn't the misery Olympics and yes, it must be stressful to think about it now, so I had sympathy for the original poster. But this type of response is rude and clueless.

I understand it can be frustrating and share your views about the exception for tennis players being unreasonable. Especially for Novak Djokovic after his behaviour last year.

I expect most on MN would have gladly had your government for the last year rather than the one here in the UK though.

@SilverSoftlySwaying

Couldn’t give a toss, we’ve had a year of it.

🐨

[quote oohmamama]@echt

"Educate yourself about what the Victorian lockdown entailed before your judge."

Am really interested to know what the difference are? Can you explain?[/quote]
The OP has explained it upthread.

oohmamama
@echt

"Educate yourself about what the Victorian lockdown entailed before your judge."

Am really interested to know what the difference are? Can you explain?
The OP has explained it upthread.

I don't understand how it differs from the UK one? There seems to be a point being made by yourself that it was somehow harder than the UK one? Am I missing something?

@timeisnotaline

The aust lockdown is not shutting down childcare, only schools. People in the uk have had to juggle work and toddlers at home for so long now, I’m sure working parents are ready to break. There isn’t the stress and fear of bringing it home to vulnerable people because you bought food at the supermarket. I do appreciate it’s hard here, but I’m not waiting to hear if loved ones died without a chance to say goodbye. I won’t see my parents this weekend, but I should be able to next weekend. If I had a heart attack, there would be an ambulance and a safe hospital bed and plenty of staff. If you did have COVID, you’d be taken to a hospital well before being critical, none of this call us back if you’re really struggling to breathe. I can take my kids to the park this weekend. I just don’t think the situations in the two countries compare. Let’s hunker down and hope 5 days does the trick. (I will say if your livelihood is at risk or you can’t pay the bills, all sympathy for those Aussies- that’s not easier for you just because it’s less Aussies overall in that boat than the UK.)

And to be fair to the feds, they closed the international borders pretty quickly, and that’s the only reason we can keep the situation in each state under control. I’m no scomo fan but that was a significant piece of the puzzle, much as my heart goes out to Aussies in difficult situations trying to return.

Time yes you’re right on a lot in first para. Really once you’re in lockdown here it is the same, you’re home except for supermarket and exercise. It’s not what pp is going on about being different in Aus.

Fortunately though in England private nurseries are open this time. Some state are and others KW only. This does really help.

I feel for those in Melbourne. It is shit here in the UK but can't imagine what it would feel like to get back to normal then have it taken away. And I hope it is only 5 days. I fear this will be us in the future in and out

5 whole day????? Wow, I hope you are ok.

We’ve had almost a year of restrictions. Haven’t seen friends or family. My children had one term for school in a year. We can’t go anywhere or see anyone and we don’t know when it will ever end. Since October we’ve been in full lockdown, leaving the house once a day for exercise.

Hmmmm, I think I’ll swap your 5 days if you want.

I'm so proud of my friends and family in Melbourne. Yes it is only 5 days, but it's incredibly hard when every other state is open and free.

To the people asking, we are relying on snap lockdowns in Aus to allow our track and trace to contact every single direct and close (indirect) contact to be identified and self-isolated for 14 days. Stop the opportunity for community transmission. Recently Western Australia and Brisbane has done the same, and no additional cases were found.

I think overall we're terrified of the UK strain getting out into the community, as we have seen how it has ravaged the UK. I'm currently living in Tasmania (from Melbourne) and the State Government here have already tracked everyone from Melbourne over the past few days and mandated self-isolation and testing.

It’s not just five days

It’s another five days on top of all the previous shit they had

And it demonstrates vividly the problem that Australia has because of its zero Covid approach - a tiny number of positive cases results in a lockdown. This won’t be the last time it happens

I hope the firebreak works but I doubt it will.

The worrying thing is that it’s a hotel worker who has it.....so they have been home,, round the shops, etc. The list of possible contact places is very long. It’s the U.K. variant so more infectious.

The firebreak needs to be for longer than 5 days. 10 minimum. This is the one opportunity to halt this before it takes hold.

Nicely.
Pull yourself together love.
We are doing the same but with snow and 115000 dead.
Yours sincerely a whinging pom