'Disgraceful failure': Daniel Andrews slammed for radical curfew as Victoria reports 429 new cases and 13 deaths from COVID-19 - as he prepares to list the businesses forced to shut down for WEEKS
- Mr Andrews announced draconian stage four restrictions on Sunday afternoon to curb spread of deadly virus
- Melbournians told they need essential reason - for work or to give care - to leave their home from 8pm to 5am
- Premier said population of 4.9million were also banned from going more than 5km from home for shopping
- Outspoken The Project host Steve Price said Mr Andrews 'totally let down' Victorians with new restrictions
- Political commentators noted Sweden was experiencing significant reduction in deaths with lighter lockdown
- Victoria Liberal opposition leader Michael O'Brien understood the anger but told residents to 'get through'
- Melbourne Lord Mayor Sally Cap on Monday morning said city residents experiencing a 'level of exhaustion'
Daniel Andrews' stage four restrictions for Melbourne have come under fire from leading political commentators.
The Victorian premier declared a State of Disaster on Sunday after 671 new COVID-19 cases that day - bringing the state's number of active cases to 6,322. This means Melbourne is under a police enforceable curfew of 8pm until 5am until at least September 13 - as the rest of Australia returns to business as usual.
Melburnians can only leave their homes between these hours for work, care-giving, medical reasons or on compassionate grounds. The city's 4.9million residents have also been banned from travelling more than 5km from home to do their shopping - and only one person from each household can leave at any time.
This draconian restrictions prompted The Project's Steve Price to claim Mr Andrews had 'totally let down' Victorians.
Mr Andrews is expected to make an announcement later on Monday detailing which businesses will be deemed 'essential' and can continue to operate through the six-week lockdown.
Figures reported by the ABC indicate meanwhile 429 new cases of COVID-19 and 13 deaths from the virus are expected in Victoria on the first day of Melbourne's curfew rules.
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Pictured: Empty trams cross in front of Flinders Street Station on Sunday. Melbourne residents are banned from leaving their homes between 8pm and 5am other than for a small number of essential reasons under an unprecedented night-time curfew
Outspoken The Project host Steve Price followed Mr Andrews' announcement by saying the Victorian Premier had 'totally let down' residents of the state
'Victorians today feeling totally let down by everyone from Premier Andrews and all his colleagues down,' Price said on Twitter.
'While the rest of the nation returns to normal this state heads to a harsh lockdown destroying businesses... and causing death and despair... disgraceful failure.'
Regional Victorians have also had further restrictions imposed on their freedom as they re-entered stage three restrictions.
The Australian economics editor Adam Creighton also hit out at the unprecedented increase in restrictions for Melbourne - calling them 'shameful' on social media.
'Shameful what's occurring in Victoria. Effective dictatorship declared. Devastating, destructive power of the state on full display. Respect for the individual clearly irrelevant. What's the point in being alive if you can't live?' he said.
He referred to how the Swedish government - which kept restaurants and cafes open during lockdown - has handled the virus, noting their daily death rate had substantially fallen in recent months.
The European country has however had more than 80,000 confirmed cases as well as 5,743 deaths - almost 30 times higher than Australia's 208 COVID-19 fatalities.
Melbourne Lord Mayor Sally Cap on Monday morning spoke of a 'level of exhaustion' and a sense of 'devastation' for businesses in Australia's second most populated city.
Bourke Street in the heart of Melbourne resembled a ghost town on Sunday night as the tough new curfew kicked in at 8pm
The Australian economics editor Adam Creighton declared the unprecedented lockdown restrictions 'shameful'
Another journalist said the Melbourne property market would likely be 'toast' after six weeks of stage four restrictions
A 'Curfew In Place' road sign above a street in Melbourne as the city entered lockdown on Sunday
'I think people are genuinely concerned about how long they can continue to operate in an online environment, how long they can continue to operate during lockdown,' she told the Today show.
'We can't really overstate to people the impact that we have already seen on small businesses, in particular those businesses where it is difficult to work from home, where they are reliant on customers popping into their shops.
'There is a level of exhaustion. There is a sense of devastation.'
She said Melbourne's local political powers were working to help the community's vulnerable get through the enhanced restrictions.
Wearing a brightly-coloured face mask on Monday morning as she spoke in front of the city's CBD, Melbourne Lord Mayor Sally Cap said businesses in the city were feeling a sense of 'devastation'
Steve Price noted the restrictions were coming into place while the rest of Australia 'returns to normal'. Pictured are large crowds at North Bondi Beach on Sunday
Collins Street was eerily quiet on Sunday night after Victoria recorded almost 700 new coronavirus cases within a 24 hour period
'We need to maintain that sense of caring for those who are in need but at the same time the best thing everyone can do is be vigilant around adhering to the restrictions,' she said.
State opposition leader Michael O'Brien released a statement on Sunday which took a balanced approach to the hardened lockdown.
'Victorians don't deserve this. I can understand why they're angry,' he wrote.
But he also called on the state's residents to 'get through this together'.
'We simply must prevail and get this virus back under control, despite how bitter the medicine is,' he said.
Usually packed with diners, the bright lights were the only signs of life in Melbourne's China Town on Sunday night
A few Melburnians in the city's CBD were pictured rushing to grab last minute supplies before the 8pm curfew on Sunday night
As residents of the Victorian capital prepared for the harshest lockdown ever seen in Australia on Sunday, hundreds of Sydneysiders and tourists flocked to Bondi Beach with little regard for social distancing.
There are also grave concerns about passengers landing in Sydney from Melbourne being allowed into taxis and Ubers to get to hotel quarantine.
While international arrivals are greeted by a chartered bus, those coming from Melbourne are given temperature checks and sent on their way.
'Why do people flying in from the UK get the special bus to hotel quarantine but people from Melbourne choose their own adventure?' Ben Fordham said on 2GB radio.
'It’s illogical, and it’s dangerous.'
Hundreds soaked up the Sydney sunshine with beachside picnics at Bondi Beach on Sunday in stark contrast to the scenes in Melbourne
Passengers from Melbourne are free to catch any form of transport available in the city including buses, trains and ferries.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian warned the 'next few weeks will make or break us' with 12 new cases recorded on Sunday.
NSW recorded its first fatality since late May with the death of a 83-year-old man connected to the Crossroads Hotel cluster in south-west Sydney died on Saturday.
Premier Berejiklian says NSW is going 'okay' but stressed now wasn't the time to be complacent.
'I cannot stress enough that the next few weeks will make or break us, in terms of the way we get through this pandemic,' she said.
The scenes in Bondi are similar to ones earlier in pandemic which led to the famous Sydney beach being shut down for a month
While face masks are not mandatory in NSW, Premier Berejikilan has urged public-facing workers, worshippers and residents of suburbs near clusters to wear a mask in public, especially in situations where social distancing is impossible.
Anti-mask conspiracy theorists on Sunday meanwhile reacted to Victoria's declaration of a State of Disaster with fury, immediately vowing to defy Melbourne's coronavirus curfew.
They described the new rules as 'absolute tyranny'.
'[Victorian] people need to revolt like the Germans,' wrote one Facebook user.
Trans-Tasman bubble is OFF the cards: Jacinda Ardern cancels all plans for travel between New Zealand and Australia after coronavirus outbreak in Victoria
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has cancelled plans for the trans-Tasman tourism bubble as Victoria struggles to contain a coronavirus outbreak.
Premier Daniel Andrews announced a stage four lockdown on Sunday as Victoria recorded 671 new COVID-19 cases and seven deaths.
The amount of community transmission has delayed the possibility of travel between New Zealand and Australia by several months.
New Zealand has not seen a single case of community transmission in 93 days compared to Melbourne's 760 active coronavirus cases with no known source.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has cancelled plans for the trans-Tasman tourism bubble as Victoria struggles to contain a coronavirus outbreak
The post was referring to anti-lockdown protests in Germany on Saturday that saw an estimated 17,000 people march through Berlin, some holding signs such as 'Corona false alarm'.
In a reference to Nazi Germany, another conspiracy theorist jumped on board saying: 'Next will be for your own good get on the train and people will believe.'
In Nazi Germany, Jewish people were put on a train from the ghetto that led straight to the death camp of Auschwitz.
Melbourne's Bourke Street Mall was eerily quiet as the Victorian capital readied itself to enter the first night of stage four lockdown
A resident is removed from St Basil's Homes for the Aged in Fawkner in Melbourne's north on Friday after Premier Daniel Andrews announced a ban on the majority of elective surgeries to free up hospital beds for the coronavirus-stricken elderly
A Twitter user reposted the Facebook comments by anti-lockdown conspiracy theorists who compared Melbourne's Stage Four lockdowns to Nazi Germany's genocidal dictatorship
The phrase suggests people should not trust governments when they tell people to do things for their own good.
More Nazi references were made comparing Victoria's coronavirus crisis response to the Reichstag fire that preceded Adolf Hitler's rise to power.
Unlike Nazi Germany, Victoria's coronavirus restrictions have been imposed to save people's lives and protect the most vulnerable, not to persecute them.
The internet reacted with scorn as screenshots of the messages were posted on Twitter.
SOUTH AUSTRALIA ON HIGH ALERT AFTER RECORDING TWO NEW CASES
South Australia has recorded two new coronavirus cases, one a woman in her 20s who was at a school while likely infectious.
The new cases were revealed on Sunday as the state warned of the potential for tougher protection measures.
The woman was a close contact of a known COVID-19 case and had been placed in hotel quarantine, SA Chief Public Health Officer Nicola Spurrier said.
Health representatives are contacting staff and students at Thebarton Senior College and Roma Mitchell Secondary College where the woman attended while infectious.
The second case is a teenage girl who flew into the state from Victoria on July 26.
Premier Steven Marshall on Sunday said his government was poised to quickly impose stricter rules if needed, to separate SA from the growing threat of eastern states
'The chances of her being infectious in South Australia are very low,' Prof Spurrier said.
Authorities have found seven close contacts of the girl, who had symptoms 11 days before arriving in SA and tested positive on Saturday.
More broadly, police will step up efforts to combat complacency about restrictions, with the state considering tougher protections.
Premier Steven Marshall on Sunday said his government was poised to quickly impose stricter rules if needed, to separate SA from the growing threat of eastern states.
'We're very concerned about the unfolding situation in Victoria and we're very supportive of further restrictions being put in place in that state,' he told reporters.
'We here in South Australia have been on high alert for weeks ... with what has been happening in Victoria. We don't rule out further restrictions should they become necessary.'
Shoppers queue into the distance outside a Costco in Melbourne to stock up ahead of Stage Four restrictions and a curfew on Sunday
'''Revolt like the Germans'' has an unfortunate undertone to it,' wrote one Twitter user.
'Can they at least agree on whether Dan's a Nazi or a communist? He can't be both,' wrote another.
'They're all bonkers,' wrote another.
False conspiracy theories arguing the coronavirus is fake or 'just the flu' have spread through social media, sparked by opinion websites that present a few facts mixed with wild exaggerations and fallacies.
One anti-lockdowner who wished to remain anonymous contacted Daily Mail Australia and said human rights were being removed by governments and a 'pseudo martial law dictatorship' was being imposed.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announcing the State of Disaster on Sunday. Premier Andrews made it clear that it is now urgent that the virus be brought under control
Anti-mask activists and coronavirus conspiracy theorists have been condemned as 'silly' and 'selfish' by medical professionals
False conspiracy theories about the coronavirus (such as the one pictured above) have been circulating on social media
'We must stand up for the sake of all Australians,' she said.
'There are over 50 videos of people stating masks should not be worn by healthy people and that masks do not stop the spread of COVID-19, included in these videos is Daniel Andrews.
'If we are in lockdown why are there five plane loads of Chinese arriving at Melbourne airport daily with no quarantine? Nothing makes sense. Children don't have to wear masks, what scientific medical evidence and fact are we being forced to live under?'
Medical research published in prestigious journal The Lancet in June showed wearing a face mask reduces the risk of coronavirus by 77 per cent as it forms a droplet barrier at your mouth and nose.
Australia's coronavirus outbreak is rapidly spiralling out of control because of the second wave of infections in Victoria
The scientific review of 216 coronavirus studies commissioned by the World Health Organisation (WHO) found the virus can spread through the air.
At the start of the pandemic both the WHO and the Federal Health Department advised people not to wear face masks if they had no symptoms because they were worried about mask shortages.
Daily Mail Australia has previously asked the Federal Health Department about how it would walk back this conflicted messaging, and whether it had made a mistake.
Pictured: an estimated 17,000 people march through the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, on Saturday against the coronavirus lockdowns. Australian anti-lockdown conspiracy theorists called on Victorians to 'revolt like Germany' on Sunday
'The Australian Health Protection Principal Committee has provided consistent advice on the wearing of masks throughout the pandemic, what has changed has been the level of community transmission in Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire,' a Health Department spokesman said.
'That is why Victoria has mandated the wearing of masks, on top of existing restrictions.'
'It's just silly,' said ANU College of Health and Medicine Professor Shane Thomas of the conspiracy theories.
Professor Thomas also described anti-mask activists as 'selfish'.
'In terms of face mask refusers, basically they're pursuing their own selfish interests at the expense of other people,' he told Daily Mail Australia.
'They should stop it and mask up.'
Professor Raina MacIntyre, head of the Biosecurity Research Program at the UNSW Kirby Institute said anti-mask activists and coronavirus deniers were 'a threat to public health'.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said anyone from Melbourne's metropolitan area caught breaking curfew or outside a 5km radius of their principal place of residence will be handed a $1,652 on-the-spot fine, without leniency.
Berlin, 1938: German Nazi Party members salute genocidal dictator Adolf Hitler
'Anybody breaking that curfew, you run the risk of being caught and run the risk of being fined and we always reserve the right not just to fine you on the spot but to take you to court - and then it's not $1,652, it's actually $10,000,' he said on Sunday.
'This will be over sooner if everyone does the right thing and plays the part they have to play.'
The premier said the State of Disaster came on top of the earlier declared State of Emergency.
'This means that police and others have additional powers,' he said.
'We can suspend various acts of the Parliament and make sure that we get the job done and there's no question about the enforceability and the way in which new rules will operate.'
A cyclist in Melbourne's Docklands on Sunday. The Defence Force is helping Victoria with its coronavirus response efforts
Premier Andrews warned that from 6pm on Sunday police have additional powers to make sure people are complying with public health directions.
'If we don't make these changes, we're not going to get through this. We need to do more.'
Under the tighter restrictions, Melbourne residents are only allowed to exercise for an hour a day.
A Twitter user has been outing anti-face maskers such as the one above
Only one person per household can shop for groceries each day, while recreational sports such as tennis and golf are banned altogether.
From midnight on Wednesday, weddings will not be permitted unless granted an exemption on compassionate grounds.
Rules for funerals remain unchanged.
All school students, including Melbourne-based VCE pupils, will learn from home apart from some 'special school' attendees and those whose parents have work commitments.
The school changes will come into effect from Wednesday, with Tuesday a statewide pupil free day.
Regional Victoria will move to 'stage three' stay-at-home restrictions, with restaurants, cafes, bars, gyms and other businesses to shut from midnight on Wednesday.
People will only be allowed outdoors to shop for food and essential items, provide care and caregiving, and for exercise, work and study.
Mitchell Shire, in Melbourne's north, has been reclassified as a regional municipality meaning it will remain under 'stage three' rules.
The premier flagged further announcements on workplaces would be made on Monday, including the closure of certain industries.
'I want to ensure all Victorians supermarkets, the butcher, the baker, food, beverage, groceries, those types of settings, there will be no impact there,' he said.
Victoria recorded seven new deaths from coronavirus on Sunday, taking the national toll to 208, along with 671 new cases.
Six deaths were connected to the age care sector.
Seventy-three of the new cases are linked to known outbreaks, while 598 remain under investigation.
Some 760 mystery cases are yet to be traced back to an original source.
Worldwide the coronavirus tally passed 18 million on Sunday night with 689,187 deaths so far according to Worldometers statistics.
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2020-08-02 23:59:30Z
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