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| COVID-19 cases in Australia (source: The Age) |
During 2021 Victoria was successful in having a few short(ish), sharp lockdowns for around 7 - 14 days whenever we had COVID-19 outbreaks. These lockdowns worked to get cases back down to zero and allowed things to open up again with minimal restrictions. However, that all changed in June when Sydney had a fast moving outbreak of the Delta variant that ended up with Greater Sydney and other parts of New South Wales going into lockdown for around four months. These cases also spread across borders into other states and territories and even New Zealand, resulting in local lockdowns in those areas.
For Melbourne and Victoria, our luck ran out in August, which unfortunately coincided with me taking a month's annual leave from work. Around a week after our fifth lockdown ended in July, more mystery cases emerged and we went into our sixth lockdown. It was only supposed to last for seven days, but instead went for 77 days as the lockdown restrictions were not working against the Delta variant and cases continued to rise, especially in the north and west of Melbourne (site of our second wave in 2020). Victorian leaders soon realised that pursing COVID zero was no longer an option, so at the start of September they shifted to New South Wales' strategy, which was to keep case numbers under control while we vaccinated our way out of the outbreak. Victoria set its Roadmap to opening in line with the milestones in Australia's National Plan.
Thankfully vaccination rates really picked up (I was fully vaccinated in mid-July) and when we hit 70% of 16+ fully vaccinated on 21 October the lockdown ended in Greater Melbourne. This meant an end to the reasons to leave home and the curfew, being able to have up to 10 people in your home, and the gradual opening up of schools, hospitality and some retail under density limits. Our next milestone of 80% of 16+ fully vaccinated will be hit in the next few days, which is why from 6pm tonight for the long weekend Greater Melbourne and regional Victoria were reunited, retail, gyms, and entertainment venues are back open, masks are no longer required outdoors, and we are operating in a vaccinated economy where you have to show proof of full vaccination to get into places or return to work on site.
After all of our sacrifices it's great to finally get through to the other side and have a bit of hope for the future. We still have around 1,500 new cases a day in Victoria (not ideal), but the curve finally seems to be bending down so those numbers should start dropping. International borders in New South Wales and Victoria will open from 1 November, and we will no longer need permission from the Federal Government to leave the country. Victoria's final milestone is for 90% 12+ fully vaccinated, which we are expected to reach around 24 November. That is when all limits and restrictions should be lifted. Of course, for some other states and territories, their vaccination rates are behind those of us that have had outbreaks and been in lockdown, and as a result they will be slower to open their borders. But thankfully Australia is starting to emerge from its bubble to join the rest of the world again.
