CANBERRA, Australia — Melbourne, Australia’s former coronavirus hot spot, will largely emerge from a lockdown after the nation’s second-largest city on Monday recorded its first day without a new coronavirus case in more than four months.
Victoria state Premier Daniel Andrews said that at midnight Tuesday, restaurants, cafes and bars will be allowed to open and outdoor contact sports can resume. At midnight on Nov. 8, Melbourne residents will no longer be restricted to traveling within 25 kilometers (16 miles) of their homes.
Melbourne has been under strict lockdown measures since early July, and the state government has been accused of inflicting unnecessary economic damage by not relaxing restrictions sooner.
The last time Victoria recorded a 24-hour period without a single case was June 9. Its last fatality was on Oct. 19, which raised the state’s death toll to 817. Only 88 people have died from COVID-19 elsewhere in Australia. Victoria’s daily infection tally peaked at 725 in early August.
(AP)
