After fortnight under stay-at-home orders, the toughest restrictions in Australia's second-biggest city are going to be lifted from 11:59 pm Thursday, after only one new virus case was recorded on Tuesday.
Five million Melbourne residents will exit lockdown Thursday after Australian authorities said their adherence to strict rules had "changed the course" of a coronavirus outbreak within the city.
After fortnight under stay-at-home orders, the toughest restrictions in Australia's second-biggest city are going to be lifted from 11:59 pm Thursday, after only one new virus case was recorded on Tuesday.
"This may be a adieu . Everyone should be absolutely pleased with what we've all achieved together," Victoria state acting Premier James Merlino said Wednesday.
He said collective efforts had steamed the outbreak within the city, which has seen quite 80 people test positive for either the Kappa or Delta strains that originated in India.
"But we all know this is not over yet, and until we've widespread vaccination across Victoria and across our country, the virus will still be with us," Merlino said.
Melbourne residents still cannot travel quite 25 kilometres (16 miles) from their homes or have visitors over, but may take in groups of up to 10 outside.
Schools, cafes and wonder salons can reopen, but gyms and nightclubs must remain closed for a minimum of another week.
Brett Sutton, Victoria's chief health officer, said there couldn't be a "snap back" to no restrictions because the situation remains "reasonably volatile".
"We need to move by increments, safely, but with the minimum restrictions that we all know will still control this," he said.
Australia is one among the few countries globally without endemic transmission, recording 30,000 Covid-19 cases and fewer than 1,000 deaths during a population of 25 million.
The border remains closed to most travellers -- with the exception of these from New Zealand -- and authorities are quick to impose restrictions when cases are detected.
The virus is believed to possess leaked out of Australia's makeshift hotel quarantine facilities up to 18 times in six months, prompting tough scrutiny of the system in recent weeks.
Outbreaks in Taiwan and Japan have also underscored how initial success in containing the virus can quickly erode without widespread vaccination.
Australia had administered about 5.2 million jabs as of Monday, but only alittle fraction of individuals are fully vaccinated.
