Lidia Kelly

MELBOURNE, (Reuters) – Melbourne, once the most restricted city in the world, has been freed from the latest COVID-19 bans on Friday. Officials said that next week, when Victoria State reaches 80% vaccination rates, more restrictions will be removed.

Melbourne is home to more than five million residents. It was the victim of 262 days (or nearly nine months) of residence restrictions. Six lockdowns were held since March 2020. They were longer than the two-week-long continuous lockdown in Buenos Aires.

Beginning Friday, when approximately 80% of Victorians – including Melbourne – have been fully immunized, Melburnians can travel freely throughout the state. Outdoor masks are no longer required.

Premier Daniel Andrews announced that there was a “fundamental agreement” with Victoria. He said that he asked for you to be vaccinated and that you did so in record-breaking time.

Australia’s authorities no longer intend to use extended lockdowns as a way to contain the virus. Victoria had 1,935 cases of coronavirus and eleven deaths Sunday.

Andrews indicated that the state is moving towards “vaccinated economies” which will see only those who have been fully vaccinated allowed to enter venues. A 90% rate can be expected by Nov. 24.

He stated that he would like to see more than 80,000 people at Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne for the Boxing Day test on December 26th between Australia and England.

Andrews stated, “It is our approach to trying to achieve life as normal as possible.”

Australians support vaccinations in overwhelming numbers, according to research from the Melbourne Institute at University of Melbourne. In October, only 6.9% of Australians refused to receive the vaccine.

New South Wales’ capital Sydney was locked down 100 days. The lockdown ended in early February. There were 296 additional COVID-19 cases, and there were four deaths. Nearly 85% have been fully immunized in the state.

New Zealand is learning how to deal with the virus via vaccinations. On Sunday there were 80 cases in North Island. It reported its first COVID-19 infected patient in almost a year on Saturday in South Island.