Melbourne is a pleasant city on Australia’s southern seaboard and home to five million people. It is a leading Asian-Pacific financial hub, and ranks 15th in the Global Financial Centers Index. It enjoys a temperate ocean climate, has a vibrant culture and is a center for medical research. Why then did the coronavirus return to Melbourne after the city had it under control?
Did the Virus Return to Melbourne Because of Distancing
International travelers apparently spiked a new outbreak when they began returning to Melbourne. Not all these people honored their quarantine agreements, and the health system suffered. Australian media house, ABC News puts this down to some security companies administering quarantine not understanding infection control. This apparently weakened the lock out and allowed the coronavirus to spread in Melbourne.
The Victoria State government published the following data for the week 23rd to 29th July 2020:
1… There were over 2500 new cases that week. This was about 300 more than the previous week
2… The majority of recent COVID-19 diagnoses involved people aged between 10 to 49 years
3… Approximately 6% of recently identified patients were spending time in hospital under treatment
The highest rates of infection were in aged care homes, public housing estates, meat factories, and schools.
City Officials Finger Several Demographic Factors Driving This
The outbreak appears to have occurred because of lack of social distancing. BBC World suggests the spreaders may have been working in insecure jobs, or were in multiple roles. This could have encouraged them to go to work while they were ill. State Premier Daniel Andrews revealed the following last week:
1… Over half the number of new infections did not self-isolate while waiting for their results
2… Nine out of ten new infections failed to undergo testing immediately after showing symptoms.
There are still people flouting lock-down rules in the Victoria capital city, which they claim violate their rights. Could this be why the coronavirus returned to Melbourne? Whose rights are violated this time.
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Preview Image: Different Shade of Melbourne
