Melbourne emerges from four-month lockdown

Australia's second largest city Melbourne on Wednesday emerged from a nearly four-month lockdown due to the coronavirus, with restaurants, cafes and bars reopening and outdoor contact sports resuming. According to the Victoria state government, the lockdown changes will allow 6,200 retail stores, 5,800 cafes and restaurants, 1,000 beauty salons and 800 pubs to reopen, impacting 180,000 jobs.

Crowds on the city's streets - where mask wearing remains compulsory - were still thin Wednesday since Melbourne residents are still restricted to traveling no more than 25 kilometers (16 miles) from home and most of the city’s office blocks remain empty as work-from-home orders continue. And while there were pedestrians on the downtown Bourke Street Mall, it was also clear from the number of now empty shops that many retail outlets and eateries did not survive the lockdown, the city's second since the pandemic began.

But many that are left are reporting record demand from the city's pandemic weary residents, with some restaurants already fully booked a month in advance now that they are no longer restricted to takeout. The lockdown had been particularly tough on those in Melbourne because the rest of Australia beyond Victoria successfully contained second waves of infections without increasing restrictions.

It was the first time Melbourne had gone a day without a new infection since June 9 and the milestone was celebrated on social media as Donut Day. Two new cases were reported on Wednesday, but they were infected by known cases and were already in isolation. Andrews thanked the retail and hospitality industries for working with his government to safely reopen.

"They know and understand deep down that we've all got to be COVID-safe, we've all got to follow the rules to protect staff, to protect customers, but also to protect this fragile thing that we've all built," Andrews said, referring to containment of the virus.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison congratulated Victorians and urged them to remain cautious of the others restrictions still in place.

"I know you have been waiting a long time for that and I would just encourage you to as you open safely, that's the way to remain safely open into the future," Morrison told reporters in Canberra.

Victoria has recorded 819 coronavirus deaths, mostly in aged care. Only 88 people have died of COVID-19 elsewhere in Australia. 

(Image Credits: AP)