The end of the tunnel is not far away. On October 26, the Melbourniens, who hold the unenviable world record for the most days spent in confinement – 250, on October 9 -, should regain their freedom of movement. The government of the State of Victoria has pledged to gradually lift the restrictions once 70% of the population over the age of 16 has received their two doses of the vaccine, a threshold which should be exceeded by now. at the end of the month. However, in Australia’s second largest city, the heart is not at the party. The number of patients continues to skyrocket, with 1,965 new cases on Saturday, another record, and residents remain on their guard.
“I am like Saint Thomas, I wait to see to believe it. But I hope that the authorities will keep their promises, otherwise we will end up exploding. Fed up with being locked up ”, ton Gina Trimboli, 58, co-manager of a family business. The Melbourniens, who undergo their sixth confinement since March 2020, can currently go out for up to four hours a day, within a perimeter of 15 kilometers, and for only four reasons: to run errands, to take care of themselves, to indulge in sports activities. or find a handful of relatives, outdoors, provided that everyone is vaccinated. “It’s difficult, but less strict than a few weeks ago. Of course, I can’t wait to be able to travel, but, for now, I’m content with the Melbourne waterfront, we still have the chance to live in a beautiful environment ”, tempers Sarah McCormick, a 44-year-old bachelor.
His mantra: “Stay positive. ” If she admits to having sometimes had a drop in morale, especially when she lost her job in the events industry in June 2020, she clings to a ” to do list “ which serves as a lifeline when the days seem unwilling to end. “I also tell myself that I am doing this to protect my family, my friends”, adds the young woman, who no longer projects, for fear of being disappointed.
The inability to eliminate the virus
Like most of the population, she supported the strategy of the government of the State of Victoria when, faced with a second wave of magnitude in the austral winter of 2020, it chose the policy of zero Covid at the cost of a confinement of one hundred and twelve days. The objective was to eliminate the virus to save lives, to reconnect with a daily life without masks or physical distancing measures and to relaunch the economy in the long term by avoiding constantly juggling between the phases of confinement and deconfinement. “The coronavirus was wreaking havoc in the rest of the world and our friends here weren’t dying. When we managed to fall back to zero in October 2020, I thought we were out of the woods. We then lived long months of freedom ”, remembers Neil Williams, a salesman who took advantage of the restrictions to start running, even managing to complete his first marathon “Between the 3e and the 4e confinement “. On October 9, Australia only deplored 1,405 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
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